Ireland shown five cards as Boks win chaotic Test

Quilter Nations Series

Ireland (7) 13

Try Sheehan Con: Crowley Pens: Prendergast 2

South Africa (19) 24

South Africa won a chaotic, bruising autumn Test for the first time since 2012, winning in Dublin with the help of ill-disciplined Ireland.

Ireland had hoped to win the World Cup with a statement win to end 2025 on a high after falling to the All Blacks in November.

However, on a hectic and intensely frustrating evening that resulted in red cards for James Ryan and yellow cards for Andrew Porter, Paddy McCarthy, coach Andy Farrell was forced to rip up his game plan.

With a fourth-minute try, Damian Willemse gave the visitors a first-class start, before Ryan was yellow for a high hit on Malcolm Marx in preparation for Tadhg Beirne’s banned try.

Cobus Reinach extended the Springboks’ lead after the card was upgraded to a 20-minute red before Dan Sheehan crossed for Ireland. Prendergast also sin-binned.

However, the Irish only had 12 men in the final minute as Crowley and Porter received yellow cards, and Rassie Erasmus’ men were given a penalty try to take a massive 19-7 lead at the break.

When Willemse scored the opening try after Damian de Allende’s line-break and Cheslin Kolbe’s surge through a gap in the Irish defence, the Springboks wasted no time demonstrating why they are the world’s best team.

The hosts, who had already defeated South Africa in four of their previous five games before Saturday, found only frustration in the midst of a first half that was full of contentious exchanges and TMO stops.

Tommy O’Brien was taken out by Feinberg-Mngomezulu in Ireland’s first meaningful attack following the Willemse try, but the young Bok fly-half controversially escaped a yellow card while the Leinster man was fouled by Feinberg-Mngomezulu in an apparent no-arms tackle.

Ryan, however, chose not to. After Beirne’s try was recklessly thrown at Thomas du Toit in a ruck, Ryan’s yellow was upgraded to a 20-minute red following a review.

After rotating for last week’s win in Italy, South Africa were denied by the TMO when Boan Venter’s try was ruled out due to Jasper Wiese’s forward pass to Eben Etzebeth.

However, Ireland was unable to hold back South Africa’s muscle for long, so Reinach burst through a gap and scored with Prendergast’s yellow card for straying offside salt in Irish wounds after spending a while camping in their own territory.

Three minutes before the break, Sheehan crashed over after Josh van der Flier and Bundee Aki’s powerful carries gave them a fleeting reprieve.

Ireland’s discipline, however, deserted them when Crowley was sin-binned for knocking the ball out of Reinach’s hands at the end of the 20-minute red-card period just as Cian Prendergast came on.

And Porter was sin-binned for a scrum infringement after Erasmus beefed up his scrum, which was still in place throughout, by sending on front-row replacements Gerhard Steenekamp and Wilco Louw.

After a sour opening half, Prendergast returned from the bin to cut the deficit to nine points before the athletic Feinberg-Mngomezulu sprinted past the Irish defense in the 47th minute to push the Boks even further clear.

Ireland’s only score from that point came from Prendergast’s second penalty, which was enough to reduce the home side’s card count to five as a result of McCarthy’s replacement prop’s scrum infringement.

The Irish pressed for a late try before being rejected by a stern Springbok defensive unit, which held on despite losing Grant Williams to a yellow card late in the match.

South Africa will have a chance to finish Europe clean sweep when they face Wales next week after winning games against France and Italy.

R. Kelleher, P. McCarthy, F. Bealham, C. Prendergast, J. Conan, C. Casey, J. Crowley, and T. Farrell are the replacements.

Red card: Ryan (20)

Yellow cards: Prendergast (34), Crowley (40), Porter (40), McCarthy (62)

South Africa: D. Willemse, C. Moodie, J. K. Kriel, D. de Allende, C. Kolbe, S. Feinberg-Mngomezulu, C. Reinach, B. Venter, M. Marx, T. du Toit, E. Etzebeth, R. Nortje, S. Kolisi (capt), PS. du Toit, J. Wiese.

Replacements: J. Grobbelaar, G. Steenekamp, W. Louw, RG. Snyman, K. Smith, A. Esterhuizen, G. Williams, and M. Libbok.

Karl Dickson and Christophe Ridley, both assistant referees, are RFU officials.

Andrew Jackson (RFU) is the official television match.