Bok mentor Nienaber not fazed by World Cup ramifications of Ireland defeat

In Dublin

Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber said Saturday's loss against Ireland at the Aviva Stadium shouldn't be contextualised with next year's World Cup meeting in Paris.

The Boks lost a Test in Dublin for the third consecutive time since 2012 when they went down 19-16, but Nienaber held a comfort crumb of history, saying what happens in the year before a World Cup doesn't define what takes place in a tournament.

He did admit Ireland will have the confidence and leeway to experiment more now that they've got past the first Autumn Test hurdle.

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"I don't think so. I think you learn a lot and it is good preparation. It may or may not build momentum, but Ireland will go into their next game with a lot of momentum," Nienaber said.

"In 2018, we lost 50 percent of our games, and we still won the World Cup. History would say you can't win the World Cup when you've lost your first pool game and when you've lost the first game of a Lions series, you can't win the series.

"It's a myth, but it builds confidence and momentum, while also creating opportunities to be creative with your team development and team selection. "Sometimes, you have to consolidate and get back to winning ways to try and build momentum again."

Nienaber painted a picture of realism in the aftermath of the result, saying they could have and should have been better with their opportunities.

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The Boks ventured frequently into Ireland's 22, but didn't get the requisite reward while Ireland made the most of their 22m entries, especially at the start of the second half. 

Ireland's two 22m entries