South Africa vs. Ireland: Score, Reaction from 2016 International Test, Game 1

The 14 men of Ireland started their tour of South Africa with a bang on Saturday after defeating the Springboks 26-20 in Cape Town, where tries from Jared Payne and Conor Murray guided them to victory at Newlands.

Ireland were unfortunate to be reduced to 14 men after back-row star CJ Stander was sent off for a collision with Pat Lambie. A jumping attempt to block a kick saw Stander knock the Springboks fly-half out with his hip.

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The victory was Ireland's first-ever in South Africa, and their maiden triumph came under a deserved banner after they fought on through the vast majority of the tie despite their one-man deficit.

Fly-half Paddy Jackson had a mixed display but contributed 16 points to the scoreline after notching three penalties, two conversions and a drop goal for Ireland. After Ireland under-20s defeated New Zealand under-20s at the Junior World Championship earlier in the day, it was a memorable 24 hours for Irish rugby, per The42.ie:

Ireland coach Joe Schmidt made the decision to switch Payne to his more accustomed position at full-back for Saturday's clash, and it paid dividends almost immediately after the Kiwi surged through in the 10th minute.

Ulster team-mate Luke Marshall took his spot in the centre, and the club connection proved to be potent, as the midfielder grubbered through for Payne to touch down early on.

Rugby writer Simon Hick noted the effectiveness of Payne's move back to his regular position at Ulster:

The elation was fairly short-lived for the travelling party, however, when Stander was shown his marching orders for an attempted kick block on Lambie in the 22nd minute.

The contact was clear. Stander leaped to prevent the punt, knocking Lambie cold as a result; however, rugby journalists Ben Coles and Alex Shaw touched on the red card perhaps not being deserved:

"

CJ Stander must have buttocks of steel. The right cheek has knocked Lambie out cold. That's not the hip.

— Alex Shaw (@alexshawsport) June 11, 2016"

It was a drastic blow for Ireland, too, considering Stander, who was such a force for the team throughout this year's Six Nations, didn't appear to show any malicious intent while making the challenge.

It was a particularly sour note for the player as well, since he was hoping to leave a mark in the nation of his birth.

South Africa's one-man advantage eased the pressure Ireland had so confidently sustained prior to the sending off, and the Boks took the lead for the first time in the match at 11-10 following Lwazi Mvovo's try just after the 30-minute mark.

South Africa made the most of their advantage to send Mvovo clear, and Ireland were reduced to 13 men after Robbie Henshaw saw yellow for his high tackle on Lambie's replacement, Elton Jantjies, in the buildup.

Again, rugby writer Brendan Gallagher noted some controversy with the decision:

Jantjies recovered to add the extras to Mvovo's score and give South Africa a 13-10 lead, but Jackson's timely drop goal just prior to the interval ensured Ireland trotted in level at the break.

Newlands was stunned into silence after the restart, when Payne turned from scorer into creator and pulled off a masterful offload to winger Andrew Trimble. Play broke down, but Murray darted through enemy lines and recorded Ireland's second try, after a check with the television match official. BBC Sport's Tom English was full of praise for the scrum-half afterward:

Jackson maintained his fine form from the tee and thrust Schmidt's men into a 20-13 lead with the conversion. His kicking helped to ensure the scoreline kept ticking in favour of the visitors.

Jamie Heaslip and Iain Henderson were key figures in the Irish pack and helped guide their side into the last quarter of the match yet to concede in the second period, and TV3 reporter Sinead Kissane said the hosts were on edge:

Jackson even increased the lead to 10 points with a 68th-minute penalty, but the fly-half quickly went from hero to villain when Du Toit intercepted his telegraphed pass near his own 22-metre line for an easy run-in.

A disappointing drop attempt from the Ulster man dribbled off the mark for Jackson, but he once again took the reins in keeping Ireland out of South Africa's reach with a long-range penalty and just three minutes remaining.

The Springboks applied plenty of pressure in the dying exchanges, but a fierce Irish assault, 14 men or not, proved sufficient in keeping the hosts at bay.

Schmidt's Irish stars now have a week to gather their thoughts before looking to follow up their win with a second successive triumph at Ellis Park next Saturday, with their tour starting under bright omens.

Post-Match Reaction

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Following Ireland's first-ever win on South African soil against the Springboks, Coach Schmidt was understandably heartened by his team's performance, especially considering the circumstances of the victory.

Speaking after the result, the New Zealand native expressed his delight at the team's performance, per Gerry Thornley of the Irish Times:

"

It’s pretty hard to put into words really. I thought it was an incredible collective effort. The nine minutes before half-time when we were down to 13 players, to just put them out in the corner, just to scramble and work as hard as the players did to keep them out.

There was almost a direct repeat at the end of the second half again. To their attacking left-hand corner, we managed to scramble across and three for four players turned up to avoid the try being scored. For the players, I think they can be incredibly proud of the effort they put in.

"

Stander's red card was a big topic of discussion in Cape Town, however, and Schmidt went on to outline his incredulity with the referee's decision to send his player off in the first period: "I thought the red card was very, very harsh to be honest. CJ’s got both hands extended, once you’re in the air you can’t change your trajectory. The one thing I would say, I think Pat Lambie’s a super player, I certainly hope that Pat’s OK."

Schmidt added that a card can sometimes come as inevitable when such an injury comes about, although one can debate as to whether the punishment fitted Stander's alleged crime.