He smiled as he thought of Ciarán Frawley’s Johnny Sexton moment in the tunnel under Kings Park, “That’s what I thought, it reminded me of that, the big collapse in Paris in 2018.”

The context was different, the play and the kicking didn’t have much in common, but the way it felt to Ireland was the same.

“This makes a big difference going into next week,” said the second-placed big name.

“When you’re in a sport like this, everything comes out. We’ve been on both sides.

“When you get a win like that, your summer gets better. It’s not an exaggeration. The ball goes off the post, that’s the difference it makes to everyone’s summer. That’s our job, it’s like a drug.”

Ryan was on the edge of the attacking line but was aware that the Springboks were pressuring referee Karl Dickson to block Finlay Bealham’s questionable block on Cheslin Kolbe.

This led to a moment of doubt, similar to the VAR moment in football, as Ireland waited for the win to be confirmed.

Upon examination, it was confirmed that the winger had slipped and that there was no foul, and the celebrations began.

“I couldn’t believe it (the drop-goal) went through. When I got up I said ‘no, it didn’t go through’ and then I saw Frawls and Pete (O’Mahony) coming towards us,” Ryan said on the sidelines after coming off in the second half.

“But then the referee blew his whistle and my heart skipped a beat, I thought he was checking something.

“I was like, ‘Oh no.’ It’s funny, it’s unbelievable the difference it makes when the ball hits the post. It’s subtle, but the difference it makes to your mood…”

Andy Farrell has shown his trust in Ryan by keeping him on the bench for the last few games.

Peter O’Mahony left the team, Leinster’s vice-captain came in and Tadhg Beirne moved to number 6.

“I was delighted to start this week,” he said. “There’s a lot of competition. I know it’s a cliché but the team comes first. Pete has been incredible this week, he really has, the way he’s led; he’s never sulked. It’s a special thing to be involved in.”

Ryan helped set the physical tone with Rónan Kelleher attempting to carry Kwagga Smith from the kick-off.

“We were probably disappointed with the way we started the first half last week,” he said.

“The most important thing this week was to start well. It’s a great opportunity to play with the world champions at home, in their backyard.

“This week we talked about attacking the game, attacking the right way, attacking it.

“Sometimes on these big days and opportunities you can withdraw into your shell,” he added.

“Every time we put in our best performance, we went after it.”

Part of the team’s identity under Farrell was to start well and after a few slow openings they settled into their duties in Durban.

“Yes, it’s huge. I thought the set piece was good. We loved it there, the boys were up front in defence. It was fun for us to attack it in the first half; being happy outside makes a bit of a difference,” he said.

“We knew they would have a good time in the match.

“Our discipline was very poor in the second half, we gave away too many penalties.

“It’s definitely something we need to look at. To be honest, we kept fighting. We felt like it was time to give ourselves an opportunity to win the game and we did that with the shot we made at the end.”

And so they can happily continue their vacation. What a difference a kick makes.