Andy Farrell says Ireland paid the price for a poor first half, as they began their summer Test series with a 27-20 defeat to South Africa.
The world champions led from start to finish in a full-blooded Test at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria, in large part thanks to Kurt-Lee Arendse's try inside three minutes, when South Africa caught the Irish defence flat-footed and narrow.
"In the cold light of day, I thought South Africa deserved to win the game so congratulations to them," the Ireland head coach said.
"First half, I thought we was off. I thought we gave away access for them to be able to play their game. Defensively, we was a bit passive, certainly for the first try but then the story of the game for me.
"After some words at half-time, I thought it was courageous the way we defended and got ourselves back into the game. In fact, it’s the make-up of this team and history would say it, that even with the type of performance in the first half, we hung in there, we don’t go away.
"There are plenty of teams that would have been under the pump in the first half like that and then seen the game run away from them in the second half. We didn’t. We stayed in the fight and could’ve, would’ve, should’ve with some decisions that rightly or wrongly, didn’t go our way."
The game turned on a TMO decision in the second half when a James Lowe's try (above) was ruled out due to an offence at the previous ruck.
The score would have seen Ireland draw level at 13-13, with a conversion to take the lead with more than 20 minutes to play.
Farrell wouldn't publicly go into detail on his thoughts of that decision, although he left the room in no doubt about he felt.
"Well, it's not for me to say, is it? I saw quite a few of them live and I had a dubious thought about it but that’s life, isn’t it?
"We’ll go through the right channels and make sure we do things properly.
"You’ll make of it what you want. We have to go through the right channels. Lucky, unlucky? That’s the game," he added.
The Ireland head coach could be forced into multiple changes for next week's second Test in Durban, with Dan Sheehan and Robbie Henshaw departing the game at half-time, and Sheehan now looking unlikely to be back next week.
Craig Casey is almost certain to miss the second Test after being carted off with a concussion (above), after hitting his head off the ground following a tackle by his former Munster team-mate RG Snyman.
"He's concussed. He was still on the trolley when I came in at the end so obviously it was concerning enough but he was up and walking around, not quite himself yet but he’s up and about and wondering what’s going on," Farrell said.
Meanwhile South Africa head coach Rassie Erasmus was delighted his side could end their poor record against Ireland, claiming first win in this fixture since 2016.
And the former Munster coach expects the tourists to come back even stronger next week in Durban.
"Just like tonight, they never give up. They'll try to be more dominant," Erasmus said.
"The guys who came off the bench – when [Garry] Ringrose came on we were certainly in more challenging defensive situations, not that Bundee [Aki] or [Robbie] Henshaw are not great players, they run over you.
"[Jack] Crowley will be more settled in the second Test. They had an injury at hooker and their nine went down, so there were disruptive things in the game.
"I think the Cheslin [Kolbe] try was probably the put-away, where we were lucky.
"But until the last second, we were still nervy about the game.
"So no, they’re definitely not gonna run away. They’re going to be there next weekend and we will have to really perform."
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