ON RUGBY:IRELAND FINISH 2009 as a true global force in rugby. They are not a great side yet, as Declan Kidney admits, but such inner resolve as they showed against Australia and South Africa belongs only to good sides, very good sides. This felt more substantial than the double over the same two countries, then in experimental mode, in 2006, writes GERRY THORNLEY

Clearly both management and players have the desire and the capacity to improve further. This is critical, for if they are to be real contenders at the 2011 World Cup – and this is the primary goal of a coaching team probably now second to none in the world – they will have to, and they know it.

However, in this short, three-match window they demonstrated a capacity to improve, not least in their work going into contact and at the breakdown. Seriously out-manoeuvred by the phenomenal David Pocock and co against the Wallabies, Ireland ultimately outwrestled Heinrich Brussow and co on the deck.

Their footwork and body positioning in contact, and numbers to rucks, all improved over the three matches. The introduction of Gordon D’Arcy and Seán O’Brien augmented Brian O’Driscoll and David Wallace. In defence too, Jonathan Sexton’s footwork in nailing Victor Matfield behind the gain line – the turnover from which ultimately led to Sexton’s opening penalty of the match – could act as a coaching exemplar for any young player.

The series saw 28 players used in the three Tests, while another 28 featured in the two A games, while the likes of Cian Healy, Sexton, O’Brien and Keith Earls had their education advanced further. This is all the more impressive considering Geordan Murphy, Marcus Horan, Rory Best and Shane Jennings were all ruled out, and Girvan Dempsey, Bernard Jackman, Bob Casey, Malcolm O’Kelly and Alan Quinlan weren’t used.

Moving forward, Ireland have issues to address, most worryingly, perhaps, the scrum. There were mitigating factors but whether John Hayes can make it in one piece to the World Cup, when he will be 38, remains the key concern. He needs games now, but so, of course does his Munster team-mate Tony Buckley.

Ireland finish the year with a world ranking of fourth, which, despite the Slam, seems about right. After all, Ireland could only earn a last-ditch draw at home to the team ranked above them, Australia, and the performances of the Wallabies and the All Blacks in thrashing Wales and France by a combined 63-24 last Saturday was a sobering reality check. That left the month-long ledger between Six and Tri-Nations at 7-3 to the south, with one draw, but tellingly the try tally was 23-4 to the Tri-Nations’ teams.

Converting pressure into points (Ireland had the ball 27 times in the Boks’ 22) will be a key point of reference in the Irish review of Saturday’s game. That said, the Springboks would throw themselves in front of a bus rather than concede a try; whenever they concede a line break, it seems to be policy to risk conceding a three-pointer and yellow card by killing the ball, fringing, tackling high, lazy runners etc. And more often than not they get away with it.

It was the same when France pulverised them physically but could only score one try in winning by seven points. As when confronted by Argentina, who gifted three tries to Wales but leaked only one against England and Scotland, games against South Africa tend not to be free-flowing try fests.

Even so, suddenly the pitches looked bigger at the Millennium Stadium and Stade Velodrome. Australia and New Zealand were more ambitious on the ball from all areas of the pitch in their final Tests of the year. Coupled with the Boks’ abandoning their recycling running game of the first half by reverting to lump-hammer rugby, it made you wonder if the ability to keep the ball in hand rather than hoof it isn’t ultimately a mindset as much as anything else.

Two excellent refereeing performances by Wayne Barnes and Alain Rolland helped, as perhaps did the positive intentions of the two home sides as well, but Matt Giteau and his kindred spirits reminded us the two-time World Cup winners are quite likely to peak again when in the same pool as Ireland in under two years’ time.

This time, the passes stuck and they finished off their well choreographed approach work. Their running game underlines the importance of work-rate off the ball and options for the playmakers. In the final phase for their first try, they had no fewer than five decoy runners. Short in the secondrow maybe, they have uncovered a couple of gems in the propping Bens, Robinson and Alexander.

Funnily enough, slightly freakish All Blacks’ thrashings of France have been intermingled with psychologically wounding defeats to the same opponents. In Marseilles, Dan Carter played as if he was in his back garden, tearing France apart with the peerless variety and vision of his game, and Mils Muliaina and Sitiveni Sivivatu ran brilliantly, from everywhere. Again though, the key was the way they cleaned France out at the breakdown.

France, as ever, reminded us of their capacity to have one emotional and physical peak per tournament and then fail to back it up. But if Mr Tinkerman could stop tinkering (while bringing back Dimitri Yachvili and finding an outhalf) they could be something special, and Ireland’s Grand Slam status ensures that will be Les Bleus’ targeted game in round two in Paris.

England, seemingly in Leicester bunker-mode, were riddled with injury and bereft of ambition. Post-2003, for all the hyperbole about their Premiership, they still, simply, don’t have enough quality players.Yet they’ll be tough come the Six Nations.

Scotland have building blocks but, as their defeat to Argentina shows, a long way to go, and Italy probably would have traded off losing Sergio Parisse for six months against a first win in 14 Tests at the expense of Samoa.

Wales looked tired, admittedly. Had they over-trained? And to compound the absence of Lee Byrne, Mike Phillips, Adam Jones and Ryan Jones they lost Shane Williams and Leigh Halfpenny in the first-half. Even for Ireland, with their developing squad system, that would be quite a hit.

TEAM OF THE MONTH:M Muliaina; T Bowe, B O'Driscoll, M Mermoz, S Sivivatu; D Carter, W Genia; B Robinson, W Servat, B Alexander, B Thorn, P O'Connell, JM Fernandez Lobbe, D Pocock, S Parisse.