RTÉ Rugby analyst Bernard Jackman said Ireland's ability to cope with South Africa's physicality was the most heartening aspect of Saturday's win at the Aviva Stadium and cautiously acknowledged that Andy Farrell's side are among the teams with legitimate World Cup aspirations.
While Ireland had already secured a landmark test series win in New Zealand in 2022, Saturday's evening match-up presented a different challenge, with the reigning World Cup winners landing into town, a team who always traded, in the first instance, on shuddering physical power.
Tries from Josh van der Flier and Mack Hansen early in the second half set Ireland on the road to victory, though they had to withstand a furious late surge from the Boks.
"Our ability to stay with them physically was the big worry," Jackman told Morning Ireland on RTÉ Radio 1, reflecting on the win.
"We hadn't played South Africa in five years. There was a worry that the new gameplan that Andy Farrell was creating, which was around high tempo, may struggle against a team who had more power than us. That wasn't evident.
"Players all week spoke about technique, but they brought technique with incredible aggression, heart and desire. They made the Springboks fight for every inch and never took a backward step.
"Eventually, we wore them down. At half-time, 6-6, people said it was a game for the purists. But it was actually fascinating tactically, how we managed to frustrate them.
"But then you have to take some risks. We saw that for the Mack Hansen try, a brilliant try, really well executed.
"It didn't happen easily for Andy Farrell's team but we can take so much from that win."
While Jackman cited Jimmy O'Brien - introduced early at centre following an injury to Stuart McCloskey - and Hugo Keenan as especially impressive on the evening, the former Ireland hooker stressed the consistency of performance across the board as central to the victory.
"I thought Jimmy O'Brien, for his first cap, having to come on at 13 was outstanding. Hugo Keenan, with no rugby under his belt, was class. Doris (in the back row)
"They were all 8 out of 10, it was a very consistent level of performance across the field. And it needed to be as the Boks came back at us, as we knew they would.
"Psychologically, that's a huge thing for this Irish team to back up that win in New Zealand against a different type of opposition in the Aviva."
Ireland, with one win in roughly a century of meetings between the pair until 2004, have now won seven of the past 11 games against the Springboks.
The pair will collide again in the Stade de France in the third round of World Cup Pool B fixtures next September. Andy Farrell's side, notwithstanding their form, have been handed a disastrous draw for next autumn's extravaganza, with either France or New Zealand lying in wait should they come through the pool phase.
Nonetheless, Jackman posits that on form, they're among the cluster of teams that can aspire to win the Webb Ellis trophy.
"I think it's the most open World Cup ever. We're in the pot of teams that are genuine contenders on form. France, New Zealand, South Africa and ourselves are the teams that are putting our hands up at the moment.
"And I also think it's different to previous World Cups. There's more depth now and we're showing more variety in how we play. I think we're in a really good place."
