Emerging Ireland coach Simon Easterby has claimed his side will have learned more against the Pumas than from the week before against the Griquas.
Ireland beat the Griquas with an eighth-try victory in Bloemfontein, they beat the Pumas 28-24 on Wednesday.
Ireland's younger crop were sent to South Africa with the intentions of making the senior squad for the next year's World Cup in Paris.
Easterby speaking after yesterday's win admitted that his side will take away valuable lessons from the tight affair in South Africa.
“We certainly learned more from this than we did in some of the periods against the Griquas,” said Emerging Ireland boss Easterby.
“When we held onto the ball and played our game, we were hard to deal with. That was a little bit few and far between. We coughed the ball up a little too much and therefore couldn’t sustain the pressure that you need at this level to put a side to bed.
“I will say there were still some really good tries. James Culhane’s try in the second half to the left of the posts, that was excellent. A lot of guys involved in it, a lot of good running lines, etc. So, there were some real positives as well, as much as we’ll be disappointed with letting them back into the game.”
📈 There were plenty of positives from yesterday's win over the Pumas for #EmergingIreland Head Coach Simon Easterby...#TeamOfUs | #IrishRugby — Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) October 6, 2022
“We set out on this tour to test the players, challenge them in a different environment, a different game,” added Easterby.
There are loads of really good things we can learn from this performance. The group will only get stronger going into the last game of the tour.”
Ireland will now play the final game of the tour against the Cheetahs on Sunday.
“We saw the Cheetahs’ Game against the Bulls last Friday and they’re probably more like the Pumas than the Griquas in terms of wanting to play a bit wider,” said Easterby.
“They also have a good forward pack who can mix it in the tight. It will be a really good challenge and we’re excited about that one. It’s a short turnaround but credit to the players, they’re already thinking about their recovery and making sure they’re available for selection on Sunday.”
