The timing could not be more perfect. After a year of unbeaten international rugby for Ireland, both the collective and the individual have been rewarded with global recognition.

From a team perspective, Ireland fully deserve their newly announced fourth place in the IRB World rankings, while Declan Kidney lifted the IRB Coach of the Year award. The fact that BOD missed out on the individual player award smacks of rugby politics rather than a decision based on pure merit.

Of course, rankings in themselves count for little, but fourth place is certainly representative of the continued progress that Ireland have made under the calm and measured hands of Kidney.

This current crop of players mixes an extraordinarily potent blend of youth and experience. The only area that seems to offer up a potential weakness is the scrum. To say that it creaked is being kind, but Ireland weathered the storm and their collective spirit saw the fog lift from half time as they got stronger and stronger as the game went on.

In terms of competition for places and bringing players through, the biggest challenge for Kidney is to find a replacement for John Hayes. However, Cian Healy came through another test and to his credit the Irish coach resisted the temptation to make a change in the front row. Healy will be the better player for it. If he manages to stay fit, I am convinced that in the future we will talk in reverential tones about the Leinsterman — he may be a work in progress but he is a legend in the making.

How else can you really hurt Ireland? Kick the ball and you have Rob Kearney to contend with. His prowess under the high ball has taken one of the basic fullback skills to a new level.

Run the ball and in the middle of the pitch you have Brian O’Driscoll waiting to do battle and, once again, Ireland’s captain sacrificed his body for another 80 minutes. My only concern for BOD is how much longer he can keep pushing his body. Enjoy him while he lasts, because there will only ever be one BOD.

If anything personified the further step in Ireland’s development achieved in this autumn’s internationals, it was the emergence of outhalf Johnny Sexton. In the last five minutes of Saturday’s game, the Springboks threw everything at the Irish team, pride driving them on despite the exhaustion of a tour too far.

Prior encounters suggest that they would, as a first option, have attacked the 10 channel. Whatever everyone else thinks, the Springboks believe that Ronan O’Gara is there for the taking. Johnny Sexton plugged that gap and that option was removed admirably. There is no longer a weak link in the defensive chain.

It was never going to be a flashy performance like his debut against Fiji. South Africa were never going to allow him the same space or time on the ball. Nevertheless, in all that Sexton did, the young outhalf looked composed and in control. With his performance he announced that he is no longer the apprentice, rather he wants and is ready to wear the green number 10 shirt of Ireland for a lot longer than the last two matches. The accession of a new monarch is usually greeted with the expression, ‘The King is dead, long live the King’.

It certainly feels like that after Saturday’s game.