Ireland falls to South Africa in a “chaotic” match
Ireland coach Andy Farrell described his team’s 23-14 defeat to South Africa as “chaotic”, stating that he had never experienced a test match like that.
Ireland suffered from the refereeing decisions and received five cards in a match full of ups and downs. At one point, they were left with 12 players on the field, while the Springboks ended a 13-year wait without winning in Dublin.
Although Ireland started well, it was the Boks who scored first thanks to Damian Willemse. However, Irish discipline broke down, with James Ryan receiving a yellow card, later converted to a 20-minute red, while Sam Prendergast, Jack Crowley, and Andrew Porter were cautioned in the first half.
Dan Sheehan scored for Ireland in the first 40 minutes, but a try from Cobus Reinach and a penalty try saw the Boks go into halftime with a 19-7 lead.
The second half continued in the same vein. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu scored a magnificent try after the break, Prendergast converted two penalties for the home side, and Paddy McCarthy and Grant Williams also saw yellow cards.
When Farrell was asked if he felt Ireland’s performance in the first half was lamentable, he replied: “I would say chaotic. I’m not going to repeat your word, I think you’re wrong.
Andy Farrell
Farrell added: “I have never seen a match like this. We have to analyze why things happened and we will make sure to learn the lessons. I am incredibly proud.”
The coach also pointed out that Ireland made some “stupid mistakes”, but that his team must use this match as a lesson.Andy Farrell se mantuvo orgulloso de su equipo irlandés a pesar de ser dominado físicamente por Sudáfrica.“Well, if you can’t learn from that, then you’re in the wrong place, really,” Farrell said. “For many reasons, I thought that by sticking with 12 players, the way the lads came out and showed courage for the country, certainly in the first ten minutes of that second half, was absolutely amazing.
“I think you could see with the crowd, the effort they put in, that the crowd recognized it and supported them. Being able to win a second half 6-5 in those kinds of circumstances, I know it doesn’t tell the whole story of the second half, but it’s really amazing that happened.”
“The lessons to be learned are that, when you fight so hard to give yourself a chance, and you’re in the 72nd minute, trying to play too much probably in your own 22 area, you still have time on the clock to put us back in the correct positions on the field.
“We played a bit more and lost a bit of time, but then we found a way, and with four minutes to go, we had a clear opportunity to score a try under the post, and (if) we scored that with four minutes to go, who knows what could have happened with a bit of momentum, but we couldn’t do it, so all credit must go to South Africa.”
Both Farrell and Caelan Doris felt that Feinberg-Mngomezulu should have been sanctioned more harshly for a previous high tackle, but Doris agreed with Farrell’s assessment of the match.
“Chaotic is the word that sums it up, definitely. As a reference to Faz before, I am proud of the fight, the courage, the character that we sometimes showed,” he said.
“I think, obviously, you want that to translate into points and results, but I think it will serve us in the future, definitely.”El hooker sudafricano Malcom Marx fue coronado Jugador del Año de Rugby Mundial de 2025.The Springboks coach, Rassie Erasmus, was delighted with the victory, as they triumphed on Dublin soil for the first time since 2012. “Ireland had previously dominated us as a group,” said Erasmus.
“We know they are still against us [in general], so we won’t get carried away. We are grateful to have managed to beat them here. It’s been a long season for us. We are proud to fight for a victory against a team like them at home.
“I think we were dominant in the scrums. We’ve been involved in a few games like this, where we had to dig deep with 14 men.
“I thought we were dominant for most of the game. Today was hectic and difficult to manage and to understand who was out and who was in, who had a HIA and that’s test rugby at the highest level.”
The Boks had an additional reason to celebrate, as Malcolm Marx was crowned World Rugby Player of the Year.
“Actually, this hasn’t sunk in,” Marx said.
Malcolm Marx
“To be fair, this is achieved thanks to the team environment. Things like this happen because of the group we have.
“This isn’t just for me, it’s a team award for those who support and the structures we have. It’s not for me, it’s for our team and South Africa.”
