Ireland came up clutch after a thrilling encounter with Ireland that ended with a scoreline of 13-8, helping them advance a step closer to the Rugby World Cup Quarter Finals.
As both sides threw everything at each other at the Stade de France, the Irish prevailed against the 2019 champions after an exciting 80 minutes. As two of the World Cup favorites battled each other for just one try, defense and physicality provided ample entertainment.
It was a breathtaking showcase of relentless end-to-end attacks, with both sides knocking at each other’s goal time and again.
The two World Cup favorites battled it out in a close contest, with both teams showing utmost discipline in their defense line as only one try per each side was scored.
Mack Hansen managed to cross in the first half, but Springboks bounced back by virtue of a magical display by Cheslin Kolbe. It was Ireland’s superior performance in goal-kicking that separated the better from the good.
The hard-fought contest extended Ireland’s invincible showcasing to a mammoth 16 wins in a row.
Kolbe’s commendable effort in the second and Manny Libbok’s penalty seemed to have revived Jacques Nienaber’s men in line for a comeback win before falling short of a fruitful outcome.
Ireland’s Will vs. Springbok’s Hopes- A Nail Biting Contest
Prior to the match, much of the buzz was around an audacious decision of the Springbok’s Gaffer to go for an imposing seven-to-one ratio of forwards and backs on their bench.
The Springbok’s Coach seemed to be unfazed by the noise around the choice, claiming the move to be a calculated one. However, the Irish Squad were in no mood for admiration as they won their way through the loopholes of the Springbok’s setup.
An astonishing 30,000 mark was expected to be crossed in attendance of the Irish fans for one of the most anticipated contests of the group stage in the World Cup.
Both camps headed into the fixture with back-to-back wins in their bag.
The assumed number appeared to be on the low side as the stadium was packed with a huge crowd, making the whole environment around the field deafening with every hit and end-to-end attack.
Key Moments in the Game
Ireland initially showcased a dominating spell in the early minutes, kicking straightaway for a corner. However, they failed to convert on multiple encouraging lineouts before Libbok’s penalty made them pay for their momentary lack of conversion.
Farrell’s men tried their utmost to keep on knocking at the Springbok’s doors, and their efforts bore fruit after Mark Hansen’s sensational moment of individual brilliance.
Ireland came confident in the field with an impressive record against the opposition, with a 19-16 win in Dublin back in 2007 being noteworthy.
Skipper Johnny Sexton oozed class as he converted the extras to ensure the Six Nations champions ended the first period of testing physicality with a 7-3 lead.
After a failed series of lineouts, the deficit came close to shrinking to just one point when Faf de Klerk’s penalty struck the post from the halfway line.
During the second half, Springboks enjoyed much of the ball and posed a greater threat.
Nonetheless, the crucial three points by Jack Crowley helped the team hold on to a thin-threaded lead and further stamp their foot on the top place of Group B before the group finale against Scotland.
