South Africa produced a ruthless display of forward power and clinical finishing to beat Ireland 24-13 at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday night, securing their first victory on Irish soil since 2012 and completing a perfect 4-0 Autumn Nations Series tour.
A chaotic first half saw Ireland reduced to 12 men after lock James Ryan was shown a red card (upgraded from yellow) for a dangerous clear-out on Malcolm Marx in the 20th minute. Further yellow cards for Cian Prendergast and prop Andrew Porter – the latter triggering a penalty try – left the hosts reeling at 17-0 down at the break.
Ireland, roared on by a furious 51,700 crowd, staged a spirited second-half fightback. Dan Sheehan powered over just before half-time and Mack Hansen finished a scintillating counter-attack early in the second period to cut the gap to 17-12. But the Springboks’ “bomb squad” bench, led by a towering RG Snyman on his 50th cap, regained control.
Fly-half Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu slotted three penalties and added a try of his own, while the Boks’ scrum and maul remained relentless. Cheslin Kolbe’s booming touch-finder from an Irish knock-on in the final play sealed the 24-13 victory and prompted a chorus of boos directed at English referee Matthew Carley, who penalised Ireland 12 times to South Africa’s five.
Key Moments
- 4’ Willemse acrobatic try (0-5)
- 20’ Ryan red card – Beirne try chalked off
- 39’ Penalty try & Porter yellow (0-17)
- 37’ Sheehan try (7-17)
- 52’ Hansen try (12-20)
- 68’ Feinberg-Mngomezulu penalty (13-24)
Reaction Ireland captain Caelan Doris, who made 22 tackles, said: “We let ourselves down with discipline in the first half. Credit to South Africa – they punished every mistake.”
Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus hailed the win as “one of the toughest places to come and get a result”. “The players who hadn’t won here before were highly motivated,” he added.
The result ends Ireland’s four-match winning streak over the world champions and hands South Africa revenge for defeats in Dublin (2022), the 2023 World Cup pool stage, and last year’s series in South Africa.
Final Score: Ireland 13 (tries: Sheehan, Hansen; pen: 1) South Africa 24 (tries: Willemse, Reinach, Feinberg-Mngomezulu, penalty try; con: 1; pen: 3)