Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus said his team had to show plenty of grit in their hard-fought 27-20 first Test win over Ireland on Saturday because they were not yet completely in sync.
'We all knew that it was going to be a close game and although we controlled things really well in terms of speed, it was still a real grind for us,' he told a press conference in Pretoria .
'I am satisfied, but there is a lot of hard work to be done. With players in Japan, the United Rugby Championship and England, sometimes it is difficult to get them all in sync.'
Ireland had a second-half try by wing James Lowe disallowed by Welsh television match official Ben Whitehouse due to an earlier ruck infringement by replacement hooker Ronan Kelleher.
The 31-year-old New Zealand-raised wing was then at the centre of another tight call by Whitehouse when a 65th-minute try from Springboks wing Cheslin Kolbe was allowed.
