Ireland landed a last-gasp drop-goal to beat the Springboks in Durban and seal a drawn series on Saturday.
Having taken a 10-point lead into half time after a dominant first half, Ireland were made to fight in the second half against a tremendous response from the Springboks, with flyhalf Ciaran Frawley making himself the hero with two drop-goals in the final 10 minutes to grab a 25-24 win.
The win sees Ireland avoid losing two Test in a row for the first time since 2021, having been defeated in the series opener in Pretoria.
Meanwhile, the Springboks have seen their six-game winning streak, stretching back to the 2023 World Cup, come to an end, as a poor first half at Kings Park ultimately cost the world champions.
Ireland were the far better team in the first half, showing plenty of intensity, good accuracy and physically dominating a flat Springbok side, which lacked the energy they showed at Loftus Versfeld.
An excellently worked try from Conor Murray and three penalties and a conversion from Jack Crowley gave Ireland a 16-6 lead at the break, with Handre Pollard kicking two penalties to get the Boks on the board.
Needing an almighty response in the second half, the Boks started to get that as they turned to a more direct game plan and forced Ireland to concede multiple penalties, with young playmaker Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, on early doors for concussed Willie le Roux, sparking the home side into life.
Pollard continued his perfect game off the tee to give the hosts a 24-19 lead.
There was a moment of controversy when James Ryan dangerously cleaned out Malcolm Marx at a breakdown, putting the Bok hooker’s knee ligaments as serious risk, but referee Karl Dickson decided to only yellow card Ireland captain Caelan Doris for his contribution to the situation.
A turning point came after Cian Healy was held up over the tryline, and Frawley nailed his first drop goal from the subsequent 22-metre dropout.
Ireland won a lineout in South African territory in the final minute, after Marco van Staden knocked the ball on near Ireland’s 22. From there, the visitors worked Frawley into space and the playmaker nailed the winning drop-goal, with South African complaints of obstruction cleared by the TMO.
Licking their wounds from an iffy performance, the Boks will next face Portugal in Bloemfontein, where they are expected to name a heavily changed lineup to test their squad depth.
Photo: Steve Haag Sports/Gallo Images
The post Ireland snatch series draw appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Ireland landed a last-gasp drop-goal to beat the Springboks in Durban and seal a drawn series on Saturday.
The post Ireland snatch series draw appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
