In a dramatic final act, Ciarán Frawley, with a nerve of steel, managed to execute a successful drop goal, sending a second ball in 11 minutes between the posts. Although the second kick was less clean than the first, it nonetheless got the job done. Frawley proved his worth with this critical play.
Against the double-champion South Africans, it was the Irish who emerged victorious in this nail-biter. Despite their protestations at the final whistle, the South African spectators’ complaints were roundly ignored. Cheslin Kolbe wasn’t shoved as he attempted to block the match-defining kick; he just stumbled.
Once their disbelief subsided, Springbok fans graciously applauded the victorious Irish players as they paraded around the pitch. It was a hard-earned Irish victory, a testament to persistence, determination, tenacity, bravery, and steadfastness. With luck playing foul in previous games for Andy Farrell’s squad, one could have anticipated yet another heartbreak. This time, however, thanks to Frawley’s exceptional performance, the result was different.
The visiting team exhibited remarkable tenacity and gave a spectacular performance on the field, utilising every bit of their physical prowess. Yet, they seemed destined for a painful defeat, with eight penalties kicked by South Africa’s halfback Handré Pollard slicing through their hope.
Instances of Irish indiscipline gave reason for penalty calls, but only the match officials could justify some of their rulings. Such questionable decisions, on a day when they had lost the match, would have soured their taste and haunted them. Instead, their destiny was favourably written on this day.
While attributing success to specific individuals might undermine the collective team effort, some players stood out in this monumental contest. Jamie Osborne, in only his second cap appearance, had a stellar game. Rónan Kelleher was perhaps Ireland’s key player on the day alongside Andrew Porter and Tadhg Furlong, who stood up to every challenge with unwavering dedication.
James Lowe’s involvement was impeccable, along with the top-notch contributions of Robbie Henshaw, Tadhg Beirne, and Joe McCarthy. Other noteworthy performances included those of James Ryan and Josh van der Flier. Despite a yellow card, team captain Caelan Doris managed to shine once again.
Ireland’s favourable field positions were largely due to the impressive work from Conor Murray and Jack Crowley’s varying gameplay. Calvin Nash was resilient in his offering whereas Garry Ringrose’s coordination of the exterior defence proved critical.
The visiting team faced their opponents with exceptional intensity, as if they were determined to rid themselves of the prior week’s opening quarter’s disappointment in Pretoria. The Springboks were up against the ropes for a while. Especially after their Fullback, Willie le Roux, left the game prematurely due to an inadequate tackle technique. His replacement was Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
Eben Etzebeth had to receive stitching for a head injury, and soon after, Franco Mostert was withdrawn due to an ankle issue. RG Snyman returned permanently after temporarily replacing Etzebeth. The tackle made by Robbie Henshaw on Jesse Kriel epitomised the game’s tremendous physicality.
Despite Ireland’s commendable defensive aggression, the visitors lacked a bit of composure with the ball; a misplaced pass here, a kick going out there, and a few somewhat unclear decisions impacted their execution.
However, much to appreciate was found in the individual performances, particularly from fullback Osborne. Aside from one poor pass, his performance was dominant. He secured the aerial combat and broke the gain line more than often.
Osborne was the key player in Ireland’s successful try which was reminiscent of the previous week’s precision, with Conor Murray being the try scorer once again. After Jack Crowley’s initial penalty kick, the successful try, along with his conversion, led to a 10-0 advantage for the visitors.
A major point generator in the second half was South Africa’s scrum dominance. Handré Pollard, before the break, managed to score a couple of penalties. Jack Crowley successfully added a couple more to Ireland’s tally, leaving them leading 16-6 at the end.
As the first half was about to conclude, Ireland was close to attempting a try, but Ringrose unsteadily stumbled mere meters away from touchdown against South Africa while attempting to collect a low pass.
Just after the second half’s start, within 16 minutes, South Africa had taken the lead due to the Springboks, earning four Pollard penalties derived from the systematic pressure of scrum and breakdown. Ireland found their strength dwindling as Doris got booked with a yellow card, the decision originating from Ryan’s aggressive play which was followed by an off-field review.
The likes of Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Cheslin Kolbe and Kurt-Lee Arendse presented relentless challenges for Ireland throughout the match. Despite the opposition’s sprawling defence, Ireland was able to keep the scoreboard unharmed, largely due to their aggressive goal-line and maul defence.
With Ireland merely one point ahead at 19-18, thanks to Crowley’s penalty kick, Pollard managed to score twice more, pushing South Africa into a seemingly unbeatable lead at 24-19. But, as the Irish continued fighting back, Doris narrowly missed a touchdown following a broad counterattack. However, Frawley, right from the sidelines, managed to land the most perfect goal.
Ireland managed to stage a fantastic defensive effort with Osborne executing an excellent tackle on Kolbe. From this point, the team summoned their final attack. The ultimate aim was led by both forwards and backs, progressing into a critical position. But the main hero was Frawley, who, tucked right into the action, brought a phenomenal win for his team. The series ended in a tie.
During the first five minutes, Crowley landed a penalty, leading 3-0. At 13 minutes, Murray scored a try, converted by Crowley, making the score 10-0. Pollard responded with a penalty at 17 minutes, reducing the gap to 10-3. Further penalties by Pollard at 34 minutes and Crowley at 36 drew the scores to 13-6. Crowley managed another penalty at 40(+1) minutes, ending the first half at 16-6.
The second half began with Pollard securing another penalty at 44 minutes to close the gap to 16-9. He landed further penalties at 47 and 52 minutes, making the score 16-15. However, Pollard didn’t stop there, scoring yet another penalty at 56 minutes, which turned the score around to his favour, making it 18-16. Crowley scored a penalty two minutes later, taking back the lead with a scoreline of 19-16. Pollard fought back with more penalty points at 60 and 64 minutes, making it 24-19. Frawley closed the gap with a drop goal at 69 minutes (22-24) and stole the victory in the last minute with another drop goal, ending the game at 25-24.
South African team members include W le Roux of Bulls, C Kolbe of Suntory Sungoliath, J Kriel of Canon Eagles, D de Allende of Wild Knights, and K-L Arendse of Bulls. The other players were H Pollard of Leicester Tigers, F de Klerk of Canon Eagles, O Nche, B Mbonambi, E Etzebeth, and F Mostert along with S Kolisi who functioned as the team captain.
The replacements included S Feinberg-Mngomezulu for le Roux after 2 minutes because of a head injury assessment (HIA). RG Snyman came for Etzebeth because of blood at 6-16 minutes and still stayed on for Mostert after 16 minutes. G Williams took over from de Klerk at 44 minutes. It saw M Marx for Mbonambi, V Koch for Malherbe, M van Staden for Kolisi, G Steenekamp for Nche and S Moerat replaced Etzebeth (71-74 minutes).
In Ireland, the team comprised of J Osborne from Leinster, C Nash, and J Crowley from Munster; G Ringrose, R Henshaw, J Lowe, A Porter, D Sheehan, T Furlong, J McCarthy, J Ryan and J Van der Flier from Leinster; and T Beirne from Munster with C Doris, also from Leinster, serving as the captain. The team underwent several replacements which included F Bealham for Furlong at 44 minutes, C Healy for Porter, and R Baird for Ryan at 57 minutes. P O’Mahony replaced van der Flier at the same time. At 58 minutes, C Blade came in for Murray, and C Frawley replaced Crowley. At 64 minutes, R Herring from Ulster replaced Kelleher, and two minutes later, S McCloskey also from Ulster came in for Nash. Unfortunately, C Doris, captaining the Irish team, was handed a yellow card at 47 minutes into the game. The referee for this game was K Dickson from England.