South Africa vs. Ireland: Score, Reaction from 2016 International Test, Game 3
Hosts South Africa claimed a 19-13 win over Ireland in the third match of their Test series on Saturday, taking the series 2-1 after losing the opener.
JP Pietersen gave the hosts the lead late in the first half with a smart try after Ireland had dominated large spells of the first 40 minutes.
Luke Marshall had given the visitors the lead and Paddy Jackson found success with his conversion and a penalty, but Elton Jantjies held up his end of the bargain, increasing his team's lead with a couple of kicks in the second half.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Despite late pressure, the Springboks held on, ensuring Ireland didn't become the first home nation to win a series in South Africa.
Former England international Jeff Probyn liked Ireland's chances of taking the series, via William Hill Betting:
The Springboks made two changes to their side, introducing Ruan Combrinck and Warren Whiteley in favour of Lwazi Mvovo and Duane Vermeulen, who missed out due to injury. For Ireland, Jared Payne was also absent with a knock, handing Tiernan O'Halloran his first-ever start for his country.
Per BBC Sport's Aimee Lewis, coach Joe Schmidt was very confident his team could take the series from the hosts ahead of the match, as he said: "I'm utterly confident they'll make me and themselves proud."
Ireland pressed forward early, working the ball around at pace in the South African half until a fumble from O'Halloran. The spill would prove costly, as the hosts scored on their first venture forward, with Jantjies kicking a huge penalty.
Ireland continued to have the better play, but needless errors broke down every attack they launched. Jantjies had the chance to double his team's lead after another spill, but this time, the wind took his kick past the posts.
The visitors' strong spell in possession didn't last long, as the Springboks took control of the ball and prepared for a prolonged stretch of pressure.
But just as Ireland appeared to be in trouble, Willie le Roux took out O'Halloran as he was jumping for the ball, earning himself a trip to the sin-bin. O'Halloran was knocked out for a brief moment and left the pitch in clear pain, and Le Roux was lucky not to run into a red card.
The42.ie's Murray Kinsella was disappointed with the decision:
The numerical advantage did provide Ireland with a unique opportunity, however, and Schmidt's troops took advantage soon after. A handful of strong carries from Iain Henderson and Devin Toner opened up the South Africa defence, and it was Marshall who found the gap near the posts.
The Rugby Pod liked what it saw:
Jackson easily added the conversion, giving Ireland a 7-3 lead. The outside-half had the chance to push the lead to seven points shortly after, as the hosts failed to roll away from the tackle, but he hooked his effort.
He made up for his miss just past the halfway point of the half, however, while O'Halloran appeared to shake off the knock and continued.
The errors continued for both teams, with knock-ons and frequent scrums stopping play, but shortly before half-time, Jack McGrath came into the scrum on an angle to hand the Springboks another penalty, which Jantjies converted.
South Africa tried to up the pace as half-time drew near, but the official's whistle killed any momentum the hosts built.
Not every fan and pundit was happy with the man in charge, including the Star's Kevin McCallum:
Marshall should have done better when Ireland had the chance to break, but his pass missed the mark, and the Springboks countered quickly. Jantjies fired a fantastic kick into the path of Pietersen, who gathered and touched down before any Irish defender could get close.
Former rugby star Kobus Wiese was impressed:
Jantjies added the tricky conversion as well, and the hosts led 13-10 heading into half-time.
The Springboks came out firing again in the second half, but a smart clearance from Jackson gave the Irish excellent position. The distributor fumbled inside their 22, however, wasting a good chance to reclaim the lead.
Jackson tried to reach Jordi Murphy with an ambitious kick, but neither he nor Peterson could claim possession, while on the other side of the pitch, some staunch defending kept the Springboks from gaining too much ground after a successful scrum.
A strong Irish lineout pushed inside the 22, setting up Jackson with some space, but Faf de Klerk saw the danger and stuck his hands up to block his pass and a likely try, to the delight of Wiese:
Ireland dominated possession, but their passing game was far too slow, and the hosts easily organised their defence. The Springboks didn't produce much danger of their own, but on their first venture forward in minutes, the hosts earned a penalty, which Combrinck converted.
The Springboks were happy to cede possession once again, as Ireland's lack of creativity or speed near the 22 meant defending was easy. With 10 minutes left to play, Schmidt's troops started to grow desperate.
Ireland also visibly tired, and South Africa took advantage. Another Jantjies penalty pushed the lead to nine points, but Jackson replied almost immediately. The pressure continued, but as shared by SportsJOE.ie, substitute Rhys Ruddock cost his team after the ball had been worked into a great position:
A late lineout gave the visitors a final chance to find a try and win the series, and they came within five metres of the try line but ultimately fell short.
Ireland missed a unique chance to make history, but Schmidt's men can still look back on the series as a success. The home nations never seem to do well in the southern hemisphere, and the win in the first Test was Ireland's first-ever against the Springboks in South Africa.
Saturday's loss will sting, but overall, the series was a reasonable success, and the result bodes well for the future of Irish rugby.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
