Low tackle school pays off for Ireland

It wasn't long after the final whistle that a WhatsApp message arrived.

There was Eben Etzebeth's giant frame held aloft in the loving arms of James Lowe, the duo's faced transposed onto the bodies of Johnny and Baby from the 1987 hit movie Dirty Dancing.

The giant African lock was certainly not having the time of his life.

Nobody puts Eden in the air and holds him there.

So while the meme battle was won by Lowe's tackle (above), and Rónan Kelleher's early big hit on Damian Willemse was also a highlight, the war was won on the ground.

How do you counter a team with such defensive speed, bulk and ferocity? Never mind Lowe, go low.

Ireland lost the dominant tackle count on a score of 30 to seven but they had defenders waiting in the short grass at Stade de France.

They made 120 tackles in total, missing 23 for a 84% success. They turned over Jacques Nienaber's side nine times.

In recognition of South Africa's superior strength, it appears to have been a deliberate tactic - all players weigh the same lying on the ground.

It's hard to recall Simon Easterby missing a tackle during his playing days and a huge amount of credit should go to the defence coach.

The low tackle, some simple chops, played a huge part in the winning of that game. Many of them were as part of a double hit, ranging from hip to knee to ankle, time and again, the early low hit immediately stopped the ball-carrier.

There were 20 of these tackles in the first half and 21 in the second and they led to multiple knock-ons, turnovers, and penalty concessions.

In the first half Bundee Aki made a text-book tackle to deny Jesse Kriel on the line (above), halting the centre's progress at the point of contact. In that instance trying to win a dominant tackle would more often