South Africa confirm status as world’s best with narrow victory over Ireland in thunderous clash

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It’s amazing honestly, I can’t explain how great it has been to come back and be with the boys, this time is so special. Just going around Pretoria, the way the people received us. What we did in 2023 was for the people so to come back to a full Loftus is really special.

Tony Brown has been amazing and the nice thing about our group, you can win the World Cup but everybody adapts. Chasing The Sun came out and everyone can see how we play. Tony came in and changed the way we play and everybody has adapted, we are going to get better in that but he’s been really good for us as a group.

You can’t buy [the leadership]. There are so many who can take that role and Pieter-Steph has done that. 

A tough battle, we knew it was going to be very difficult here with the quality of South Africa. There are a lot of positives to take out of our performance but little bits here and there, against a side as good as this they’re going to punish you. We’ll go away and have a look, fix a few things and look forward to next week.

We knew with Tony Brown coming in there would be a little bit of a tweak obviously. They are playing a bit more expansively, a bit more wide, they’re more than capable players to do it. They put us under a bit more pressure certainly with their depth out the back of the line, we’ll have a look.

Kolisi was great, full of energy in those wide channels.

And after a knock-on from the restart, that’s it! South Africa defeat Ireland for the first time since 2016, it’s the one they wanted, the one Rassie wanted. But what a scrap that was, loads that the Springboks will not be happy about with their game. 

Ireland couldn’t cut through that brilliant defence until the end when it was too late but defended superbly for so long in that Test, hanging on for dear life at times.

Ireland not going quietly here, a chip over to Lower who steps Kolbe and offloads to Baird who dives over in the corner. The ball falls off the tee and the dropped conversion is missed, so it’s a seven-point gap.

Kolbe has been struggling for a while, looks to be staying out there. Only 10 seconds left as we restart.

That will do it. Huge power from the scrum, you knew it was coming, and Ireland are rocked back and collapse illegally with South Africa going for the pushover score, penalty try and a yellow card for Kelleher too. Looks like a big win for the Boks but doesn’t tell the whole story.

Lowe with a bit of disaster trying to catch a restart which looks as though it was going to fly dead. Gives the Boks a five-metre scrum which looks threatening - had Lowe let that bounce dead Ireland would have been up the other end of the field.

A lifeline for Ireland! The short passes pay off as Kelleher is put into a gap by Bealham, before feeding Murray who scores under the posts! Converted by Crowley. Game on?

Hang on, another check from the TMO to make sure the pass wasn’t forward. It isn’t, try stands.

Are Ireland over? Decision on-field after a carry from Doris - who else - is that the ball was grounded on a leg and held up. But the TMO is going to have a check. Busy game actually for the TMO.

No try, held up. Goalline dropout for the Boks.

Another penalty now against the Boks for not rolling away, so Crowley goes to the corner. Free-kick for Ireland for numbers in the lineout, can’t call a scrum anymore so they’ll tap it and try a fancy move which doesn’t really work.

Du Toit offside, another penalty coming. Crowley to Doris, Aki now with a good run but nothing coming, so a penalty and yellow card for Arendse. Springboks will finish this with 14.

But Du Toit poaches the lineout! Ireland just cannot get it right against South Africa, going to the front and Du Toit is there to steal that. Pollard shanks a clearance though so it’s an Ireland lineout in the 22.

Ireland have put so much effort into this but their intensity is dipping a bit now, a lost lineout luckily followed by a poor Kolbe kick going out on the full.

Bit of a scrap breaking out between Doris and Kriel, Le Roux and Murray.

Ireland with a penalty for a clearout from Williams on Aki, Crowley kicking to touch. Ireland have to get something here to keep this alive.

Scrum wheels around and that’s a first Springbok scrum penalty, Marx and Koch getting the credit.

Pollard misses touch, but it bounces up perfectly for Kolbe to sprint onto the ball and score! That was wild. Ireland desperate tried to keep the ball infield and to stop the lineout, Lowe taking a chance, and after he taps it back in Kolbe races on to it, hacks it on and scores.

The officials now checking to see if the ball actually did go into touch... Lowe might get away from this. Was the ball in his hands when his foot touched the ground?

On-field call is try, so there needs to be clear evidence to overrule it. Wondered from one angle if his toes touch the ground while the ball was on his fingertips but it’s such a tight call, frame by frame stuff.

There’s not enough clear evidence, which I reckon is the right decision. Try given! Pollard converts.

Ireland just forcing those short passes a little too much in close contact, and it leads to a knock-on. Casey down and in some bother, hope he’s alright, he’s played great. Snyman cleared him out and he hit his back of the head on the hard ground, looked nasty.

Still no play, with the stretcher and cart now out for Casey. What a shame after a really good performance

Loftus turning into Glastonbury with Coldplay’s Sky Full of Stars playing and everyone getting their phones out.

Casey carted off with some oxygen, warm applause, sticks a hand up. Murray the veteran comes on.

For most of the game it has felt as though South Africa would pull away eventually, but I’m not so sure anymore. They just haven’t converted their dominant spells into points. 

Mega 50:22 from Casey! Lineout just inside South Africa’s half.

Pollard misses another kick, his third miss of the game. Penny for Manie Libbok’s thoughts.

Wasn’t the best lineout and De Klerk was under heaps of pressure, somehow holding on to the ball. Great take by Arendse under a high kick, Le Roux with a chip pass perfectly for Kolbe. Boks 40 metres out, Kwagga almost turned over but not quite. 

Scrappy passing from the Boks, losing ground under pressure, and it’s turned! Lowe with a dart down the wing, he beats Pollard with a step and scores in the corner! Wow. We’re level!

Hold on, officials are just making sure there wasn’t a knock-on with the turnover. TMO suggesting that Kelleher on the ground kicked the ball back to Ireland’s side of the ruck. You can’t play it on the floor like that, so we’re coming back for a Springbok penalty.

Better nudge from the Boks but Doris quickly away from the base. Ireland in the 22 and building well... but that’s a great turnover penalty by Marx, so good in that area. South Africa can ease the pressure.

Porter bleeding heavily so on comes Healy. Boks spill a lineout but Ireland also knock on, so an Irish scrum about 40 metres out.

Scrum penalty Ireland! First of the game, against Koch for walking around. Ireland find touch.

Baird now on for Ireland replacing O’Mahony, Frawley too for Osborne.

Turned over by the Boks who look to counter, forward pass from Le Roux? Playing on for now, hit from Baird on Van Staden, then Ryan on Moerat. Good defence from Ireland here as the Bokke chants go up from the crowd. Great turnover by Van der Flier and Casey clears.

Bomb squad about to arrive; Steenkamp, Marx, Koch, Moerat, Snyman and Van Staden.

Kriel with a spill in midfield after a lineout, so a scrum coming up.

Kriel nearly through but stopped by a desperate Crowley tackle. Then from the lineout Ireland get it wrong an South Africa are back on the ball, forcing a wide pass to Kolbe which goes into touch.

Kelleher throws long at the next lineout to Doris, crashing up before Osborne clears to touch. But Ireland pinned in their half here.

Another bad penalty against Ireland, Kelleher kicking the ball out of De Klerk’s hands. Chance for Pollard... which he misses! What is going on with goalkickers today?

Goes to ground legally from the looks of things. South Africa five metres out. Kriel crashing up well, quicker ball. Mostert isolated but South Africa keep going. De Klerk hammered and a pass is intercepted by Beirne, before Crowley clears well.

Kolisi with another great run in the wide channel before Aki infringes. Springboks go to the corner, this could be big. We’re due a big maul from the Boks.

Le Roux with a nice catch after a Casey box kick. Great offload by Etzebeth to Du Toit before Furlong gets in the way to knock a pass into touch.

South Africa look sharp out wide, but Ireland are better at the breakdown and arguably in the scrum. Time for more action, I reckon.

Sheehan and Henshaw off, Kelleher and Ringrose on. Good depth there in both positions.

One final attack for the Boks then, inside Ireland’s half. More brilliant defensive work though from Doris, another turnover and Casey fires it into touch.

Well, it’s been gripping. Perfect start for South Africa with that Arendse try but Ireland have started gaining more territory and their defensive work has kept them right in the fight.

Second half coming up.

Chance for South Africa to immediately respond from a maul but that’s stopped, and then De Allende is held up in the tackle and turned over by Doris! The No 8 with loads of big moments in this half. Lowe clears long.

Back comes Kolisi with another lively run and South Africa get a penalty after Porter takes out De Klerk at the ruck. Chance for Pollard from near halfway... which he misses! Hooter sounds for half-time.

Ireland win the lineout but there’s no maul, Nash darting in off this wing. Five metres out, South Africa trying to slow it down. Doris with a great offload but Ireland losing ground. 

Wide to Sheehan, Lowe looping around and he gets it infield to Osborne who thinks he’s scored in the corner! Was Lowe in touch? Incredible score if it’s given. Replays checked, no foot in touch! Amazing from Lowe and Osborne with a try on debut. Crowley can’t convert.

Ireland trying to go wide, Aki stopped as Henshaw fires an offload into touch... but Kriel was offside, so another penalty. Crowley is going to the corner...

Another catch for Kwagga from the restart which gets a big cheer. De Klerk clears, won back by Furlong. Ireland need to make the most of this territory. Van der Flier straightens, Mbonambi too eager with the counter-ruck and that’s a penalty. Crowley going for the posts.

...boy, that is a shocker from that range. Crowley misses left when everyone expected three points.

The Boks lead now up to 10 points with Pollard’s second penalty. Ireland a tiny bit flat in the last few minutes and struggling to get the territory they want from the kicking game. Sheehan currently down getting some heavy strapping.

The breakdown is a mess as Porter goes off his feet after going for a poach. Easy chance this for Pollard.

Free-kick to Ireland at the scrum, Malherbe pushing early. Crowley hits it to touch. Pressure on South Africa’s lineout. Pollard with a bomb which De Allende wins back. Passed wide but it goes to ground, Kolbe sorting that out. Mostert nearly knocks on but gets it back, before Doris poaches a turnover. 

Definitely a bit scrappy from both sides, as a McCarthy pass goes 20 metres backwards, Crowley kicks it into touch and that will count as out on the full as it was carried back over. Attacking lineout for South Africa coming up.

Crowley with a high bomb which seems to come off Nash’s knee, and is then knocked on by Osborne. Not entirely sure South Africa were expecting that. 

Strange pass from Le Roux is both forward and intercepted by Sheehan. Crowley with another bomb, taken by Le Roux. Ireland’s defensive shape all over the shop there with Lowe rushing in, leaves loads of room for Du Toit to break clear with Kolbe on his outside, stepping infield before Ireland scramble well to force a turnover. That looked threatening.

De Klerk finds touch and then Ireland mess up the lineout, taking too long so it’s a free-kick. Osborne claims a catch but then Ireland knock on chasing their own box kick. Nice kick from Le Roux to find touch just outside Ireland’s 22.

Easy strike from that short range and the gap is back to seven. And off the restart Kwagga makes a catch, met with a few cheers from the crowd.

Massive collision with Kolisi carrying into Henshaw. Think it was shoulder on chin from Kolisi, Henshaw just getting his technique a bit wrong. Ringrose on the bench if needed.

Pearce stopped the game to check on Henshaw thinking there was head contact, which is fair enough, so we’ll have a scrum. First there’s a reset, then Ireland have the shove again and De Klerk has to get it away.

South Africa come wide but Kriel can’t connect with Kolbe, goes backwards though... and McCarthy is penalised for not rolling away. Pollard will take a shot.

South Africa with a lineout on halfway, won and played of the top. Good kick from Pollard, Osborne covers and somehow isn’t put into touch from a tackle by Kolbe, doing well to retain possession and then clear through Crowley.

Ireland on the board, as errors from the South Africa give the visitors a foothold in the game.

Massive run by Henshaw and then off the next phase Ireland get a penalty for Nche not rolling away. Crowley taking a shot, down the middle from 40 metres out.

Hmmm, another spill from Kwagga, and it’s also a penalty after the Boks fail to release. Ireland through Crowley find touch in South Africa’s half.

It’s Ireland actually with the bigger drive, before Smith feeds Kolbe who puts in an amazing clearance kick up the touchline.

Off the lineout South Africa look wide but a kick through is fielded well by Lowe, dotting it down for a dropout.

Massive carries from Ireland’s forwards but they knock on just short of the line! O’Mahony offloading looking for McCarthy.

And we’ve got our first scrap between Mbonambi and Porter too after the whistle. First scrum coming up, which feels like an event in itself.

Soft error from Kwagga at the restart as he drops the ball into touch, giving Ireland attacking field position.

Off the top, Aki crashes up. O’Mahony with a short pass, Ireland about seven metres out. Doris to Sheehan, one metre out. Porter driven back, Beirne round the corner.

Penalty coming for Ireland from Luke Pearce for offside, but Ireland want more. Kriel with a good hit stops the attack, penalty.

First few carries for South Africa after that turnover, Ireland slow it down and Pollard goes high. Good take by Osborne, the full-back on debut. 

Box kick from Casey, claimed by Le Roux. Boks look wide, Du Toit doing well to offload inside. Now the Boks come left, Kolisi releasing Arendse and he’s stepping past Osborne to score! Real width and a lethal finish out wide to get things going, his 14th Test try.

Great catch and pass from Kolisi actually to move that wide quickly, made the try happen. Converted by Pollard.

This mega Test is finally away. No more talking.

Mostert claims the kickoff and De Klerk sends up a short box, won back by Ireland. Instant impact from Kwagga with a rip on McCarthy.

Hulle weet nie wat ons weet nie, or, ‘They don’t know what we know’.

Sounds like a special atmosphere. Worth remembering the Springboks just didn’t get this kind of homecoming after 2019 in Japan because of the pandemic.

Singer stops for the final chorus to let the crowd finish it off before the pyrotechnics. This should be lively.

Hopefully lots of fans have travelled, could be a great 10 days in South Africa.

Loftus packed, temperature dropping which is probably a good thing given how hot it will be on the field.

Gut feeling is the Boks will have too much and Ireland will miss back Gibson-Park and Keenan’s control in the kicking game. But you never know...

Feel like he would be useful at the breakdown? Not long to go, already heard the first rendition of Zombie/Rassie over the sound system.

First and foremost it’s a privilege to be here at such an iconic stadium, against the world No 1 and World Cup champions. What an occasion but also what an opportunity for us, we’re looking to test ourselves.

There’s obvious strengths of the opposition which are world class, starting with the set-piece and the physicality which they like to bring to their defence and their carries, the breakdown. But at the same time it’s making sure that we are courageous enough to put our best game out there, that’s the challenge in front of us.

[New guys] to be themselves, not to fit in, to go and add to the team. Give it everything they’ve got, which they will do because they’re all in this together. 

I’m going with two.

If you unemotionally look at [those last three losses to Ireland] it was three points here, a few missed kicks there, a maul try not scored. But then again, [Ireland] did it. If we want to be happy at the end of this series we need to finish those moments.

Luckily we have a Sacha guy while Damian Willemse is out who can cover 10 and 15 for us. But I think 7:1 isn’t something you must try every week.

As you know, South Africa haven’t beaten Ireland since Erasmus took over.

Expectations for Andy Farrell’s side are so high these days, after the series win in New Zealand, last year’s Slam, reaching No 1 in the world. Winning a Six Nations title earlier this year felt oddly underwhelming after that win over France in Marseille. Plus when you consider Leinster and Munster’s exits from the United Rugby Championship semi-finals... bizarre as this might sound, it feels like Ireland need to win one of these two Tests in South Africa.

Spoke to Jordi Murphy, one of the players from that historic 2016 win in Cape Town, about that pressure.

It’s mad that you go and win a Six Nations, back-to-back, and you don’t win a Grand Slam and that is a disappointment.

Back in May - May! - Damian de Allende spoke to Jim Hamilton and started the fire for this entire series. “It is just going to feel almost like a war.” Worth watching it all here.

South Africa are masters of finding a grievance and using that as fuel to pump themselves up before games, which is why De Allende went back to some RTÉ pundit comments from 2017.

I spoke to Francois Louw and Schalk Brits this week, winners in 2019, to try to get an insight into South Africa’s mindset.

Afternoon everyone, let’s hope this lives up to all of the considerable hype over the past few weeks and months. Ireland are back in South Africa for the first time in 2016, and have not lost to South Africa since 2017. 

The Springboks genuinely seem desperate to get win over Ireland, to not only break that run but to dismiss any talk about which side is the best in the world, despite winning the Rugby World Cup last autumn while Ireland went out in the quarter-finals. Their pool meeting at the Stade de France was utterly absorbing, rugby at its most physical and intense.

But, and this is a big but, Ireland are not as strong today as they were going into that game. No Jamison Gibson-Park to run things at scrum-half is enormous given his form over the past two years. Mack Hansen is still absent out on the wing but it’s a full-back, with Hugo Keenan away on sevens duty ahead of the Olympics, where everyone’s eyes will be focused as Jamie Osborne wins a first cap at full-back. He can expect to be busy under the high ball.

Having watched the Springboks get past Wales fairly easily a couple of weeks ago, there were clear signs of a more attacking framework under new assistant Tony Brown, a marked departure from the contain displays that have won South Africa consecutive World Cups. 

They have the players to entertain and, as noted on social media this week, perhaps the reason why this Springbok team is not as revered as the All Blacks side who won in 2011 and 2015 is because for those viewers who are not obsessed with power and enormous scrums and a controlled kicking game - everyone should at least admire that approach, by the way - South Africa do have talent to deliver a bit more razzle dazzle. Look at Kurt-Lee Arendse and Cheslin Kolbe. Perhaps we will see a bit more of that today along with the usual Springbok strengths. The additions on the bench of Grant Williams and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu are a welcome glimpse into the future.

Loads of build-up on the way, so stick around.