This highly anticipated Test, part of the End-of-Year tour, saw the South Africans secure their first win in Dublin since 2012, largely powered by an unstoppable scrum and a relentless defensive effort.

The game was a bruising spectacle, swinging between the superb and the messy. The Springboks’ sheer power proved too much for the home side, whose ill-discipline consistently undermined their plans. Ireland conceded a string of penalties, resulting in multiple yellow cards and one 20-minute red card - a heavy price for repeatedly ignoring the laws of the game.

Damian Willemse - SA Rugby

Central to the South African dominance was their scrum, which was completely unyielding. English referee Matthew Carley was forced to repeatedly penalise the Irish front row, with those calls reflecting the work of the Bok scrum unit, including standout performers such as Wilco Louw, Thomas du Toit, and Malcolm Marx, alongside Johan Grobbelaar, Boan Venter, and Gerhard Steenekamp. Their collective effort set the platform for the victory, showing an unwavering refusal to give up ground.

While the power game was crucial, the Boks showed they were far from a “one-trick pony” with well-crafted tries. The first arrived just five minutes in, as fullback Damian Willemse scored after a piece of individual class from inside centre Damian de Allende, whose late run and delayed pass sliced open the Irish defence.

The second try, scored by veteran scrumhalf Cobus Reinach in his 49th Test, came directly from the forwards’ brute force. With Ireland temporarily down to 13 men after disciplinary issues, the Bok scrum repeatedly shunted the hosts backwards. After several resets, Reinach spotted the gap to score his 19th Test try with a clever show-and-go. A Penalty Try was later awarded just before halftime after another series of dominant scrums, putting the Boks ahead 19-7 at the break.

Ireland produced a brief pushback, scoring a first-half try through Dan Sheehan while the Boks were briefly scrambling. Their momentum carried into the second half when Sam Prendergast, returning from his yellow card, kicked a penalty goal to trim the lead to nine points.

Cobus Reinach - SA Rugby

However, the Springboks quickly crushed this surge. Flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu raced in for the final try after yet another powerful scrum. The Irish defence turned prematurely, and Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s sharp attacking instinct saw him hit the gap created, stretching the lead to 24-10.

Prendergast added a last penalty goal, but that was the end of the scoring.

Despite a frantic final quarter, where the Springbok scrum earned one more yellow card, Ireland somehow resisted the last Bok surge. Ultimately, the match was decided by the preceding 70 minutes of power and precision from a Springbok side that remains unmatched in the global game.

To cap of a special night in the Fair City, Malcolm Marx, was named as the World Rugby Player of the Year for 2025.

Scorers:

Ireland: Try - Dan Sheehan Conv. - Jack Crowley Pen. - Sam Prendergast 2

Springboks: Tries - Damian Willemse, Cobus Reinach, Penalty Try, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu Conv. - Feinberg-Mngomezulu

Morgan Piek OFM Sport