Springbok line-out kingpin, Victor Matfield, singled out former Bok forwards coach Gert Smal as playing a crucial role in Ireland getting the better of the Boks during last weekend's test at Croke Park in Dublin.

Ireland beat South Africa 15-10 and they dominated the lineouts, an area of the game the South Africans pride themselves on and which has been so successful for over the years.

Before the match, Matfield, skipper John Smit and coach Peter de Villiers all spoke of how Smal's (current Irish forwards coach) knowledge of the Boks would assist the Irish but they couldn't have known just how much that information would set the Boks back.

"After the first two line-outs, I realised Gert must have taught the Irish guys some Afrikaans," Matfield told the South African media on Sunday.

"They were counting with us before the ball was thrown in. He knows our calls so well. We changed things at half-time and while it improved a bit in the second half, it wasn't a good day for us.

"In fact, it's the worst line-out display I've ever experienced. We contested well enough, but our own ball was a shocker."

Matfield also lamented the moment the Boks came close to scoring a second and decisive try at the death.

"There was one metre in it at the end," he said. "Had we managed to score a converted try in the last minute, it would have been an awesome game. That's how close it was."

While the Boks were unimpressive in the line-out department they also struggled with the boot, missing several penalty attempts at goal and Smit pointed to these two areas as reasons for the defeat.

"The line-outs let us down as did our goal-kicking. It's quite ironic considering these two aspects have been our major strengths this year," Smit said.

While the Boks struggled with their kicking and in the line-outs, prop BJ Botha said he was pleased with the Boks' scumming display.

"Our plan was to disrupt them and dominate them in the scrums and we did that. But this is a defeat we simply have to take on the chin.

"One must remember the Boks faced up to a very good Ireland side at the end of the season and they threw everything at us. Ireland were at their best and in the end there were just five points in it. We left a lot of points out there on the field so it could have been a completely different story."