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Ireland count cost of cards as Springboks power to win

Updated / Saturday, 22 Nov 2025 22:46
Garry Ringrose of Ireland and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu square off
Garry Ringrose of Ireland and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu square off

South Africa's 13-year wait for a win in Dublin is over, with the world champions proving their credentials with a 24-13 win against Ireland after a remarkable game at Aviva Stadium.

In truth, this was a game the Springboks could and should have won by 30, and as humbling as the defeat will be for Andy Farrell’s side, they showed remarkable resilience to bring this game the distance.

It was a night that came down to two elements of the game; discipline and the scrum.

Ireland lost James Ryan to a 20-minute red card and had four other players sent to the sin-bin, with Sam Prendergast, Jack Crowley, Andrew Porter and Paddy McCarthy all picking up yellows, the latter two as a result of a scrum that was decimated by a ferocious South African pack.

By half time, Ireland were playing with 12 men.

The visitors might have won by more had it not been for their own hubris. At stages in the second half they grew more concerned with dominating the Irish scrum rather than scoring points, and it could have come back to bite them when Ireland rallied late on.

They were 19-7 in front at half time following tries for Damian Willemse, Cobus Reinach and a penalty try, before Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu's effort just after the break proved the difference.

As outmuscled as Ireland were at the setpiece, there was an admirable fight to stay within reach, with Dan Sheehan scoring their only try of the game, converted by Crowley, while Sam Prendergast kicked two penalties.

As expected, the game started at full throttle, and twice in the first two minutes Ireland found James Lowe down the left wing for significant territorial gain.

But three minutes in, the Springboks landed the first blow, as Willemse dived over to give them a 5-0 lead.

It came from a midfield lineout, and when Ireland infringed off the maul, the South Africans pounced; Caelan Doris shot up in defence which allowed Damian de Allende break into space, and as the Irish cover scrambled, quick hands got the ball to Willemse on the wing as he acrobatically finished in the corner.

The Irish response was impressive, Lowe once again breaking down the left, and when they flashed the ball wide to the right wing, O’Brien was hit by Pieter-Steph du Toit first, before Feinberg-Mngomezulu came in with a no-arms cheap shot, which was somehow deemed to be worth just a penalty after a TMO check.

Having boiled over early on, the game reduced to a low simmer as the half progressed, and on 17 minutes Prendergast had the chance to get Ireland on the board with a penalty to the left of the sticks, but his shot cannoned back off the post.

Lowe was first to the rebound, and it looked to be a great second prize when Tadhg Beirne crashed over to score a few phases later. However, that score was chalked off after a TMO referral, with Ryan shown yellow for his high hit on Marx, subsequently upgraded to a 20-minute red.

Down to 14 players and minus a second row enforcer, Ireland were vulnerable and the Springboks looked ready to feast.

There was a lucky escape when Boan Venter saw a try ruled out for a forward pass, but it was just a stay of execution. When South Africa returned to the 22 on 27 minutes, they took Ireland apart slowly and painfully.

There was a scrum penalty and then a maul penalty. There was another scrum penalty moments later, coupled with the loss of O’Brien to a HIA after he had conceded a penalty for a high tackle on Canan Moodie.

From the scrum that followed, the Boks earned another advantage, but it was one they didn’t need to use as they eventually broke the home side down out side, Reinach running in his team’s second try for 12-0.

To compound things, Sam Prendergast was shown a yellow card for a breakdown offense in the build-up.

With 13 players, Ireland’s response was remarkable. A penalty in midfield led to a venture into the 22, and two powerful carries from Josh van der Flier and Bundee Aki surged them close to the line, before a stunning pass from Jamison Gibson-Park sent Sheehan in to score, and Crowley converted to make it 12-7.

They were back in the game, or so we thought. There were just seconds of regulation time to play when Ireland thought they had won a turnover, but the TMO correctly spotted Crowley playing the ball off his feet at a ruck and a yellow card followed.

Just as Cian Prendergast swapped in for Ryan after the 20-minute red card, Ireland were back down to 13 players.

Incredibly they would finish the half with just 12 players on the pitch, as Matthew Carley’s patience wore out following another succession of scrum penalties, and Porter was the latest player to sit in a busy sin-bin, with an eventual penalty try making it 19-7 to a ferocious South African team.

The chaos of those final minutes were summed up by the restart of the second half, as Mack Hansen took the kick-off for 12-man Ireland, although they only had to wait two minutes to get back to 13, as Sam Prendergast returned from his sin-bin.

The out-half's first task was to knock over a penalty, reducing the arrears to 19-10.

The visitors shrugged off that setback. Ireland knocked on soon after the restart, and another dominant scrum led to advantage, but one they didn't need as Feinberg-Mngomezulu stepped on the gas and floored Gibson-Park with a hand-off before racing in to score his side’s fourth try, as they moved further clear, 24-10.

Mercifully, Ireland got back to 15 players without conceding again, although they had Paddy McCarthy to thank for a huge turnover close to his line.

On 53 minutes, Prendergast cut the gap again with his second penalty to make it 24-13, but it wouldn’t halt the South African momentum as they sent their scrum to work once again.

Just before the hour mark Rónan Kelleher was penalised for hands on the ground near his tryline, and the visitors couldn’t select a scrum fast enough, with three penalties in quick succession seeing McCarthy become the latest Irish player to take a trip to the sin-bin just after the hour mark.

While Ireland were being beaten up, they were clinging on through sheer grit, and survived that onslaught with a Jack Conan turnover, before Crowley did just enough to chase down a Moodie kick and disrupt the South African winger.

Staring at defeat, Ireland upped the ante heading down the stretch, with Cian Prendergast coming up with another big lineout steal, and multiple penalties came their way as lay siege at the South African line.

The visitors lost Grant Williams to a yellow card, but kept the door shut on Ireland, as Rassie Erasmus picked up that previously elusive Aviva Stadium win.

Scorers

Ireland: Tries: Dan Sheehan

Cons: Jack Crowley (1)

Pens: Sam Prendergast (2)

South Africa: Tries: Damian Willemse, Cobus Reinach, Penalty Try, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu

Cons: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (1)

Ireland: Mack Hansen; Tommy O'Brien, Garry Ringrose, Bundee Aki, James Lowe; Sam Prendergast, Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, Tadhg Furlong; James Ryan, Tadhg Beirne; Ryan Baird, Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris (capt).

Replacements: Rónan Kelleher (for Sheehan, 55), Paddy McCarthy (for Van der Flier, 40-49, and for Porter, 60-70), Finlay Bealham (for Furlong, 60), Cian Prendergast (for Ryan, 39), Jack Conan (for Baird, 60), Craig Casey (for Ringrose, 72), Jack Crowley (for O’Brien, 32 [HIA]), Tom Farrell (for Hansen, 64).

South Africa: Damian Willemse; Canan Moodie, Jesse Kriel, Damian de Allende, Cheslin Kolbe; Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Cobus Reinach; Boan Venter, Malcolm Marx, Thomas du Toit; Eben Etzebeth, Ruan Nortje; Siya Kolisi (capt), Pieter-Steph du Toit, Jasper Wiese.

Replacements: Johan Grobbelaar, Gerhard Steenekamp (for Venter, 40), Wilco Louw (for Du Toit, 40), RG Snyman (for Etzebeth, 49), Andre Esterhuizen (for Kolisi, 59), Kwagga Smith (for Wiese, 52), Grant Williams (for Reinach, 67), Manie Libbok (for Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 59).

Referee: Matthew Carley

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