An unchanged South African XXIII with the highest number of caps ever faces up against an Ireland team missing 6 world class players – Keenan, Gibson Park, Hansen. Aki, Casey, Sheehan – and with Captain O’Mahony dropped to the bench. On paper there should only be one winner. But Ireland start full of intent against a stout South African defence. Crowley kicks an early penalty for off-side. 0-3
Osborne mistimes a jump while contesting a high ball and concedes a penalty but makes amends with a great take afterwards. Crowley kick out on the full but Kelleher comes away with the ball. It’s all Ireland and a great line from Osborne and great interplay up the middle creates a great try for Murray. 0-10.
Ox Nche wins a scrum penalty off Furlong and Pollard makes it 3-10. Murray is just short with a brilliant 50:20 attempt. All the good attacking play is coming from Ireland, mixing it up with inside passes, dinks and kicks wide. Osborne is belying his youth and relative inexperience with great play all around. Ireland concede a second scrum penalty to Ox Nche but a Springbok pass to Kolbe is knocked on.
South Africa block a Crowley kick and Ireland are lucky to survive with a penalty for playing the ball on the ground. Lowe kicks out on the full – ball taken back in. Ireland defend well and de Klerk knocks on. But South Africa are in the ascendancy now, and Ireland are unable to get out of their half despite several turnovers. It is a tribute to Ireland’s defence that South Africa opt to kick a third scrum penalty. 6-10 on 35 minutes.
A clear obstruction on Henshaw gets Ireland a cheap penalty, 6-13, and Pollard re-starts too deep. Osborne picks a pass up off his boots and throws a great pass to Lowe who kicks ahead and nails Pollard in goal. Doris almost scores but South Africa hold out and concede a try saving penalty for off-side. 6-16 h/t.
Ireland are in trouble in the scrums but are marginally on top elsewhere, showing more invention in attack. Mbonambi throws straight and Ireland win two line-outs in a row. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu runs through the Irish defence twice in a row and a penalty at the breakdown is a cheap price for Ireland to pay. 9-16. Another penalty at the breakdown leads to a yellow card for a crocodile roll against Doris and Pollard nails it 12-16.
The referee denies Ireland a clear penalty at the breakdown and then awards a penalty to South Africa for off-side. 15-16. Another penalty at the breakdown against Ireland gives South Africa the lead – 18-16. Grant Williams and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu have made a difference for South Africa. Finally Ireland are awarded a clear penalty at the breakdown and Crowley mahes it 18-19.
South Africa are again awarded a penalty when Ireland clearly didn’t knock the ball forward and the TMO didn’t intervene. It is absolutely unforgiveable that TMOs could be so one eyed in their rulings. 21-19. This has become a consistent pattern. Again, the referee awards a penalty against Ireland at the scrum when it was a 50:50 call. The ball shaved the post but went over 24-19.
Herring misthrows twice but South Africa concede two penalties but Ireland are then held up over the line. Frawley drops a goal from 45 yerds straight off the restart. 24-22. Little mistakes from Ireland cost possession but a super kick from Frawley yields possession in South Africa’s half and Frawley nails the long range drop goal just as the the clock went red.
An absolutely outstanding and well deserved win for Ireland. South Africa were on top only in the scrums and during Doris’ yellow card and played a very conservative kicking game. Despite their outstanding wingers, South Africa created very little. Frawley redeemed himself after his drop goal miss for Leinster against Toulouse and all of the Irish XXIII played very well and did their bit.
South Africa need to do more than win scrum penalties and kick the leather off the ball. De Klerk and Pollard had decidedly mixed games but Feinberg-Mngomezulu looks a real find. Their line-out suffered when they actually threw the ball in straight. They have the best wingers in the world yet generally employ them as kick chasers. I don’t get this ‘Erasmus as a tactical genius’ meme. More like what Jack Charlton was for the Irish football team.
A season which ended in disappointment for the Irish provinces has ended on a positive note for Irish rugby a s a whole. They can all be very proud. Osborne has announced himself as a real alternative to Keenan at 15 and is an option all over the backs, Frawley is an able deputy to Crowley if he can get more experience at 10 with Leinster. Murray rolled back the years and Blade did fine as fourth choice scrum half.
Lowe mixed the sublime with the ridiculous but provides Ireland with much needed X-factor in the backs. McCarthy has come of age and Nash did all that could have been expected of him. Ireland have four great centres and improving depth elsewhere. Loosehead remains our problem position and we probably need to find a successor to Herring as third choice hooker. For me Beirne is the player of the season, playing more minutes than everyone else and never letting his standards drop. He deserves to be a nominee for world player of the year.
IRELAND: Jamie Osborne; Calvin Nash, Garry Ringrose, Robbie Henshaw, James Lowe; Jack Crowley, Conor Murray; Andrew Porter, Rónan Kelleher, Tadhg Furlong; Joe McCarthy, James Ryan; Tadhg Beirne, Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris.
Replacements: Rob Herring, Cian Healy, Finlay Bealham, Ryan Baird, Peter O’Mahony, Caolan Blade, Ciarán Frawley, Stuart McCloskey.
SOUTH AFRICA: Willie le Roux; Cheslin Kolbe, Jesse Kriel, Damian de Allende, Kurt-Lee Arendse; Handre Pollard, Faf de Klerk; Ox Nche, Bongi Mbonambi, Frans Malherbe; Eben Etzebeth, Franco Mostert; Siya Kolisi (capt), Pieter-Steph du Toit, Kwagga Smith.
Replacements: Malcolm Marx, Gerhard Steenekamp, Vincent Koch, Salmaan Moerat, RG Snyman, Marco van Staden, Grant Williams, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
Frank Schnittger is the author of Sovereignty 2040, a future history of how Irish re-unification might work out. He has worked in business in Dublin and London and, on a voluntary basis, for charities in community development, education, restorative justice and addiction services.
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