Ken Borland

DURBAN (July 13, 2024) – Victorious Ireland coach Andy Farrell said he did not care apropros the debate around which team is the best in the world following his side’s dramatic 25-24 win over world champions South Africa in the second Test at Kings Park on Saturday.

Farrell instead highlighted the character of his team after replacement flyhalf Ciaran Frawley kicked two long-range drop goals in the last 10 minutes, including one on the final hooter, to snatch a series-levelling win. It was just the second time Ireland have won a Test in South Africa.

Ireland led 16-6 at halftime after a superb first-half display in which they dominated the Springboks with great physicality and high-intensity rugby. The home team came back strongly in the second half and flyhalf Handre Pollard kicked six penalties to put them 24-19 ahead after 65 minutes.

But Ireland then fought back at the death to end their season on a high.

“As far as drama goes and with the pressure we put on ourselves because we were not happy with last week’s performance, this result is right up there because it came against a magnificent team,” Farrell said. “We had to come out and perform and the character of the team came through. That’s what sport is all about.

“It’s been a 13-month season for these lads but you wouldn’t think it after tonight, and when you play for Ireland, there are no excuses. Our tussles with South Africa have been immense and we had to show guts, bravery and composure tonight. Our first half was outstanding, as good as it gets, but in the second half we made enough mistakes to last us three games. It was a complete role-reversal from last week.

“I honestly don’t care who the best team in the world is. You would not want to separate these two teams and there are probably three or four other countries who come into the conversation. World rugby is in a good state when we have this sort of competition,” Farrell said.

Having won the first Test in Pretoria 27-20 last weekend, Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus was humble in defeat on Saturday, praising Ireland as a quality side who deserved their victory.

“It was a very well executed drop goal that made the difference, but I’m not surprised because that’s what Ireland do, it’s why they are such a consistent team. The best team won on the day and I thought the referee [Karl Dickson] was good tonight as well.

“We fought back from a long way, but Ireland were better than us at the end when it mattered. But if that drop goal had missed then we would have been sitting here with big smiles and talking about what a good comeback to win the series 2-0,” Erasmus said.

While South Africa scored three tries in the first Test, all their points on Saturday came via eight penalties by Pollard, and Erasmus said their attack missed the direction and authority of experienced fullback Willie le Roux, who was concussed in the second minute.

“Our attack functions better with Willie there, with his vision and feel for the game and the way he links the two centres and wings very well. We lost one specific player and a lot of attacking ability with that because we build our attack around him. So our game became very stop-start,” Erasmus said.

PRETORIA (July 6, 2024) – South Africa coach Rassie Erasmus said his team had to show plenty of grit in their hard-fought 27-20 win over Ireland at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday evening because they were not completely in synthesis yet.

Ireland had a second-half try by wing James Lowe disallowed by TMO Ben Whitehouse due to an earlier ruck infringement, and the 31-year-old New Zealand-raised wing was then at the centre of another tight call by Whitehouse when a 65^th-minute try by Springbok wing Cheslin Kolbe was allowed.

Lowe leapt high to try and keep a penalty kick by Handre Pollard in-field, flicking it back, but Kolbe had raced up in the chase with superb pace and anticipation, hacking the ball ahead and then diving on it to score and give South Africa a 20-8 lead after the conversion. Whitehouse ruled that Lowe had released the ball before his foot stepped in touch, otherwise the Springboks would have had to come back for a lineout.

“We all knew that it was going to be a close game and although we controlled things really well in terms of speed, it was still a real grind for us,” Erasmus said at the end of the first Test. “I’m satisfied but there’s lots of hard work to be done.

“With players in Japan, the United Rugby Championship and playing in England, sometimes it’s difficult to get them all in sync. We were definitely far from perfect tonight, we were lucky and Cheslin’s try was the one that put them away. Ireland never gave up though, it was a very stop-start game for both teams.

“But against a team of that quality, I hope people can see we are trying to develop our attacking game, there will be mistakes and a lack of cohesion, but it will come,” Erasmus said.

Ireland coach Andy Farrell hailed his team for coming so close to victory after a first half in which they were dominated and trailed 8-13 on the scoreboard. But in the second half they were constantly nipping at the Springboks’ heels and giving them a hard time, scoring twice.

“South Africa deserved to win, so congratulations to them. In the first half we were just off, we gave away access for them to play their game, we were a bit passive in defence,” Farrell said.

“But there were strong words at halftime and this team showed just how courageous they are, we got ourselves back in the game because we just would not go away. Plenty of teams who were under the pump like we were in the first half, the game would have got away from them in the second half. But we stayed in the fight.

“It’s not for me to say if the TMO was right or wrong, but I did have dubious thoughts about it. But that’s life, it’s all to debate but it is what it is. It’s a difficult game to referee and sometimes it goes for you and sometimes it doesn’t. But we showed a huge amount of character,” Farrell said.

The second and final Test will be played in Durban next Saturday.

The next Springbok squad will be named in October for the end-of-year tour and here are four players who knocked the door down during the Rugby Championship and must be included in the group for the Tests against Ireland, France, Italy and England.

Jasper Wiese

The Leicester Tigers loose forward turns 27 in October and is clearly entering his prime, knocking over opponents on the gain-line and just being constantly busy in terms of work-rate. While it remains to be seen whether he will depose Duane Vermeulen at the World Cup next year, the great eighthman has some bouncing back to do after his injury problems, although he made an encouraging cameo off the bench at Kings Park this weekend. At the moment, Wiese is certainly bringing the fire though and is a real thorn in the opposition’s flesh.

Jaden Hendrikse

A series of polished displays means young Hendrikse surely now owns the No.9 jersey. Despite his tender 22 years, he has taken on the key tactical kicking role of the Springboks with aplomb, and has generally been slick and precise with his service, as well as offering some variety on attack. This Rugby Championship has proven he belongs in Test rugby.

Kwagga Smith

The former Springbok Sevens star made a series of crucial contributions at the breakdown through the tournament and, coming off the bench, he has been able to form a great partnership with whoever his other two loose forwards are, showing his experience and versatility. And it’s not just the flashy stuff Smith has been doing, he gets through a lot of ‘dirty work’ too. Most important has been the sheer energy he has brought from the bench, which is exactly what you want from your replacements.

Damian Willemse

The highly-talented 24-year-old will no doubt be in the Springbok squad, but will he be earmarked as a flyhalf, centre or fullback? Hopefully he will play flyhalf because the Springboks will need to sort out this key position post-haste. Handre Pollard will still be around, but has just battled to get the attack firing of late, while surely the time has now come to ditch Elton Jantjies, who is making more headlines off the field than on.

Willemse showed enough when he did play flyhalf in the Rugby Championship to suggest he has great potential there. He has an attacking mindset, is a steely defender and seems confident enough to be the team’s general. He will need to work on his kicking, but that should not be a problem for a player as skilful as he is.

The unavailability of Rassie van der Dussen due to injury made the selectors’ job an easy one when it came to choosing South Africa’s squad for the T20 World Cup, but the obvious headache of how to fit in both the captain, Temba Bavuma, and Reeza Hendricks, the player of the series against both England and Ireland, is now to the fore.

Van der Dussen broke his finger in the second Test against England and his absence has allowed Bavuma to return from the torn elbow ligament that kept him out of the entire UK tour, while powerhouse batsmen Rilee Rossouw and Tristan Stubbs keep their places.

Hendricks has been in the type of form that makes him all but undroppable, with four half-centuries and a 42 in his last five innings for the Proteas, and he has continued that red-hot form with 257 runs at an average of 85.66 and a strike-rate of 154.81 for the Central Gauteng Lions in the Namibia Global T20 they won on Monday.

But convenor of selectors Victor Mpitsang said on Tuesday that he could not envisage a situation where the Proteas would leave out their captain at the World Cup.

“Rassie broke his finger in the last Test and needs surgery, which will leave him with up to six weeks of recovery. The timings are just not right, which is why he was excluded,” Mpitsang said at the squad announcement at Cricket South Africa’s offices on Tuesday.

“Temba has been playing in Namibia over the last week, he is well-recovered, and good to go. I think he will open the batting, that’s been his role for the last year or two.

“Previously, Reeza opened in India and Temba was at three, but Rilee has now done a great job at three against England. We will have to see how we balance the top-order, to get the best out of them.

“It would be a tough decision to leave out your captain, I can’t see that happening. But nothing has been decided yet and it’s so difficult to make calls now,” Mpitsang said.

The 15-man World Cup squad and the three travelling reserves – Andile Phehlukwayo, Marco Jansen and Bjorn Fortuin – will play a three-match series in India that ends on October 4.

Three ODIs will then be played over the next week, for which Janneman Malan and Phehlukwayo come in for Stubbs and Rossouw, before the Proteas leave for Australia and their opening World Cup match against a qualifier in Hobart on October 24.

Mpitsang believes the Proteas have an attack to adapt to whatever conditions confront them.

“There are good headaches to have because it means we have a lot of bases covered. We have definitely selected with consideration for the pitches and we feel the 15 will cover conditions well.

“We will make adjustments when we get there. We can make the right calls for the conditions we face, we have got the right options.

“We have two spinners and Aiden Markram, a left-armer in Wayne Parnell if we need that. The crucial thing is we’ve got bowlers who can take wickets, because that’s the only way to restrict teams in T20.

“We are more than capable of putting other teams under pressure and I’m excited by the brand of cricket we’ve played for the last few months,” Mpitsang said.

Squad: Quinton de Kock, Temba Bavuma, Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Tabraiz Shamsi, Lungi Ngidi, Heinrich Klaasen, Anrich Nortje, Wayne Parnell, Rilee Rossouw.