History was knocking at the door but the Springboks were not going to let Ireland in over their dead bodies. They knocked harder.
Ireland were beaten 19-13 by South Africa, in Port Elizabeth, to lose the Castle Lager Series 2-1.
Luke Marshall’s try certainly demonstrated that a jaded Ireland were up for the fight. The Boks scored a crucial J.P Pietersen try just before half-time and, ultimately, it proved the difference.
Joe Schmidt turned to his bench too late but bitterly complained, after the final whistle, of a red card decision that went against his team. Willie Le Roux saw yellow for reckless play where CJ Stander was flashed red a fortnight ago.
Irish errors and tremendous South African defence, epitomised by scrumhalf Faf de Klerk, were their undoing.
Here’s how we rated Joe Schmidt’s men in green:
Tiernan O’Halloran – 6
Was fortunate not to be badly injured when flipped upside the head by Willie Le Roux. Was targeted by the Springboks in the early stages but coped well and provided a couple of attacking parries. Was perhaps feeling the effects of his upending as he was replaced at half-time.
Andrew Trimble – 5
Was unlucky to be denied a try by Glen Jackson’s harsh whistle. Was undone by the Elton Jantjes crossfield kick for Pietersen’s try.
Luke Marshall – 7
Very good outing from the Ulster centre after a shaky start. Made line breaks for fun in the first half and scored a fine try. One of our best players.
Stuart Olding – 6
One sublime chip and collect over the Boks line, he was up for the contest. Game wore on him and so did the big Springbok tackles. Threw a disastrous forward pass that was intercepted by Pietersen. Nice side-steps as we pushed for that win.
Keith Earls – 6
Tackled with intent and made it count. Good early bursts but drifted out of the game with every passing minute after half-time.
Paddy Jackson – 6
Goal-kicking not as assured as it was in the first two games. Blocked an early Le Roux clearance and passed sharply. Made a poor knock on just outside the Springbok twenty-two. One more bloody inch on that pass that Faf de Klerk nabbed and earls had an easy try. Did well to hold onto a high ball when tackled mid-air… by Earls. Kicking out of hand disintegrated as the game went on.
Conor Murray – 5
For the third week running, we needed him badly in defence. Set up Marshall for his try. Snaffled once by Le Roux as he hesitated with a pass. Final act of the season was to concede a penalty.
Jack McGrath – 8
Left every single bit of himself out on the pitch. Tackled hungrily and bravely went low on some big men at full speed. Always liable to be pinged for a penalty or two, such is his eagerness to pitch into rucks and tackles. If he can cut those indiscretions down he could well be the world’s best loosehead.
Rory Best – 5
Crooked throw at an early lineout set a shaky tone. No stand-out moments – turnovers and tackles – like he so often brings. Good support of Trimble kept an attack going.
Mike Ross – 5
Some decent ruck-clearing but was beasted in the scrum on a couple of collisions. Hard slog at the end of a long old season for the veteran.
Devin Toner – 6
A beacon in the lineout. Taken for granted now but so vital in a tight game. Was running on empty from the hour mark but trudged on 10 minutes more.
Iain Henderson – 5
Committed as ever but wheezed a bit in the second half. Outshone by opposite numbers.
CJ Stander – 7
Was pumped for this match and grew as the game progressed. Asked to carry a lot of ball and he did it with glee, getting is team on the front foot. Won a crucial turnover at the start of the second half to set up an Irish attack.
Jordi Murphy – 8
Energy. Brought it and it was much needed to a team clearly flagging in their final game on the season. Provided kick-chase pressure too and made a few nice incisions with ball in hand. Knock-on midway through the second half showed that even he was flagging. Somehow, he rallied to win a big turnover in the closing stages.
Jamie Heaslip – 6
Rearguard action and he hit his quota of rucks and Springbok jerseys. Happy to let Murphy and Stander make the big carries and rarely threatened in attack. Home defence had his number.
Replacements
Matt Healy – 5
[For O’Halloran HT] Looked lively and eager to get involved. No show-stopping moments, however.
Tadhg Furlong – 5
[For Ross ’52] Scrum jitters did not improve when he entered. Got destroyed by Kischoff just before a Ruan Combrinck penalty. Couple of good carries near the death.
Eoin Reddan – 6
[For Murray ’69] His energy won us a penalty the moment he was sprung from the bench.
Ultan Dillane – 5
[For Henderson ’69] Why did it take so long to get this guy on the pitch? Big carries but the Boks had his card marked.
Rhys Ruddock – 4
[For Toner ’69] Went stupidly off his feet to give away a penalty in the Springbok 22.
Sean Cronin – 7
[For Best ’72] Made one 40-metre break that made us love him.
Ian Madigan – 6
[For Trimble ’72] Wanted the ball and wanted to make things happen.
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