Jake White’s youthful Springboks completed their series win over Ireland yesterday, not exactly pulverising them in the same manner as last weekend in Bloemfontein, but holding on deservedly amid a final-quarter rally by Ireland, who had awoken from their first-half slumber. Too little, too late as it turned out. They’ll regret this for a long time.
Ireland turned around 20-10 behind and it was in that first half that much of the damage was done. In fairness to them, Ireland were not helped by the pre-match loss of Geordan Murphy, the full-back going down with a chest infection.
Ireland also lost Girvan Dempsey with a nasty facial injury in the 21st minute, but his replacement, Gavin Duffy, had an assured afternoon on his first appearance for his country.
By then Ireland had the lead, too. They began beautifully with a try inside seven minutes. Brian O’Driscoll, who mixed the sublime with the ridiculous, began it with a long touch-find. Two minutes of Irish pressure later and Paul O’Connell and Anthony Foley drove at the Springbok line. When they came infield, O’Driscoll looped a gorgeous pass to Tyrone Howe, who went in at the left corner. Ronan O’Gara added the conversion.
That was all anybody in green added in quite a while, for the Test settled into wave after wave of South Africa attack. O’Gara and Peter Stringer began to struggle horribly under pressure and O’Driscoll, too, found himself coursed around Newlands for the rest of the day. When Marius Joubert collared him and forced the centre into holding on, the excellent Percy Montgomery stroked over the penalty in his Springbok return after three years away.
Advertisement
Duffy made his entrance soon after and he had barely two minutes to draw his breath before pulling off an outstanding try-saving tackle on Pedrie Wannenburg on the left touchline. By now, the Boks were piling forward. In the same move, Malcolm O’Kelly made a try-saver of his own, all this after O’Driscoll had knocked on going forward and Montgomery had run it back at Ireland with devastating effect. In the end, all the cover tackles were in vain as the Springboks came screaming up the left for Joubert to put Breyton Paulse over. The redoubtable Percy made no mistake with the extras.
More pressure and more South African points followed and it would have been a massive relief to Ireland that it was just three, from the boot of Montgomery, rather than five or seven, which looked more likely.
O’Gara missed from halfway soon after and Duffy made another massively significant hit on Jaco van der Westhuyzen just after that. Duffy saved a certain score for a second time.
Ireland’s day looked all but done when Reggie Corrigan was binned for throwing two punches into the head of Paulse — who in turn looked as if he had stood on O’Connell — and that was the cue for South Africa to strike again. Montgomery made the initial break from deep, Brent Russell took it on further from the side of a ruck and Paulse gave it to Jaque Fourie to score in the corner. The conversion and a late O’Gara drop goal made it 20-10 at half-time. Corrigan’s binning had gone 7-3 against them.
Needing to start the new half well, it must have come as a savage blow to Ireland to go so close through O’Connell after multiple phases saw him stretch for the line from a close-in lineout only to lose the ball as he did so. All that pressure took five or six minutes, but when South Africa ran it back it took less than half that time for them to snare O’Driscoll once more and win a penalty, which Montgomery kicked.
Advertisement
By then, Ireland were in their box awaiting burial but they were given hope when finally referee Joel Jutge punished the Springboks for hands in the ruck — three or four of them could have walked earlier — and within five minutes David Humphreys, who had replaced O’Gara before the hour, chipped through for O’Driscoll to beat Montgomery to the ball. Humphreys converted and a glimmer of hope was visible.
Humphreys was excellent in nearly everything he did and a wonderful step helped Howe dart up the wing, only to be halted by Joubert. His crosskick aimed at Horgan wasn’t a million miles away either, but each time Ireland looked close to pulling off a miracle, they caved in under pressure, spilling the ball forward.
The last act fell to Montgomery, who put over a penalty to bring an end to the Irish challenge and perhaps spark new life into a sleeping giant.
South Africa: P Montgomery; B Paulse, M Joubert, W Julies, J Fourie; J van der Westhuyzen, F du Preez (B Russell 31-40min); O du Randt, J Smit (capt), E Andrews (CJ van der Linde 47min), Q Davids (G Cronje 71min), V Matfield, S Burger, J Cronje, P Wannenburg (G Britz 69min).
Advertisement
Ireland: G Dempsey (G Duffy 17min); S Horgan, B O’Driscoll (capt), K Maggs, T Howe; R O’Gara (D Humphreys 56min), P Stringer (G Easterby 56min); R Corrigan (M Horan 61min), S Byrne, J Hayes, M O’Kelly, P O’Connell, S Easterby, D Wallace, A Foley.
Referee: J Jutge (France).
Attendance: 50,000