South Africa ended eight years of frustration against Ireland with a 27-20 victory in their No. 1-vs-No. 2 showdown at Loftus Versfeld. They have only met three times in those eight years, with Ireland handing South Africa its only loss at the Rugby World Cup last year. The Springboks, who dubbed this two-test series “Unfinished Business,” were keen to settle the score.
The world champion Springboks, fielding their second most capped team in history, had to draw on all their experience and benefited from some favorable decisions by Television Match Official Ben Whitehouse. Whitehouse disallowed a try for Ireland’s James Lowe and confirmed a try for South Africa’s Cheslin Kolbe despite unclear footage showing whether Lowe stepped in touch beforehand.
Kolbe’s converted try extended South Africa’s lead to 20-8. The final six minutes saw intense drama, with Ireland having a try attempt ruled out, then scoring through Conor Murray to close the gap. However, a dominant five-meter scrum by South Africa resulted in a penalty try, securing victory in the 78th minute despite a late try from Ireland’s Ryan Baird.
Captain Siya Kolisi expressed his joy to Sky Sports, stating, “I can’t explain how great it has been to just come back and be with the boys. This team is so special. What we did in 2023 was for the people, so to come back and play here is really special.”
Ireland, seeking only their second win in South Africa in 118 years, will have another opportunity to even the series in Durban next weekend. Ireland captain Peter O’Mahony reflected on the game, noting, “There are a lot of positives to take out of our performance but little bits here and there, playing against a side as good as this, they are going to punish you. We’ll fix a few things and look forward to next week.”
The match began with South Africa scoring inside four minutes. Kolisi set up Kurt-Lee Arendse for an overlap, and Arendse raced to the tryline, with Handre Pollard adding the conversion. Ireland responded with a Jack Crowley penalty but struggled to capitalize on further opportunities.
Kolisi delivered a notable carry that flattened Ireland’s Robbie Henshaw, leading to a brief medical check for Henshaw, who continued playing. Pollard then converted two penalties for a 13-3 lead. Ireland finished the half strong, with Jamie Osborne scoring on his test debut, narrowing the gap to 13-8.
In the second half, South Africa introduced their ‘Bomb Squad’ around the 58th minute, injecting fresh energy. However, Lowe appeared to score next for Ireland, only for the try to be disallowed due to an earlier infraction by Ronan Kelleher.
A missed penalty by Pollard gave Ireland a glimmer of hope, but scrumhalf Craig Casey had to be stretchered off after a hard tackle. Kolbe’s try, confirmed upon review, extended South Africa’s lead. Despite Arendse being sin-binned and late efforts by Ireland, South Africa’s penalty try sealed the match, with both teams finishing with 14 men following Kelleher’s yellow card.