In a highly anticipated No. 1 vs. No. 2 clash at the Rugby World Cup held at Stade de France on Saturday, Ireland triumphed over defending champion South Africa with a score of 13-8.
In a fiercely contested, low-scoring match, both teams managed to score a try each. However, Ireland capitalized on all of its goalkick opportunities, while South Africa missed four out of five attempts, leaving 11 crucial points unclaimed.
Ireland’s right winger, Mack Hansen, notched their try after 33 minutes, marking the first try South Africa had conceded in the entire tournament. In response, the Springboks’ left winger, Cheslin Kolbe, scored a try early in the second half.
When Jonathan Sexton converted a penalty an hour into the match, Ireland took a 10-8 lead. Later, in the 77th minute, Sexton’s replacement, Jack Crowley, successfully slotted another penalty, leaving South Africa needing a try to tie the game and a converted score to win.
In the dying moments of the match, the Springboks attempted a rolling maul from a lineout, but they were thwarted, unable to recycle the ball quickly enough before the referee’s whistle signaled the end of the game.
This victory marked the second time in 10 months that Ireland had defeated the defending champions and the first time they had achieved this feat at the Rugby World Cup.
With this win, Ireland extended their test-win streak to 16 games and are likely to finish at the top of Pool B, potentially avoiding a quarterfinal clash with host France and setting up a meeting with three-time champion New Zealand.