Ireland's hopes of a statement win over the world champions were dashed in a chaotic Dublin Test as South Africa produced a typically power-packed performance to win 24-13. The Springboks, who restored their key players after rotating for last week's win in Italy, showed why they are the world's top team when Damian de Allende's line-break and Cheslin Kolbe's surge through a gap in the Irish defence led to the opening try.
Damian Willemse darted through a gap and made it 12-0 with Prendergast also sin-binned for straying offside rubbing salt in Irish wounds. The hosts' fleeting reprieve arrived when Dan Sheehan crashed over following powerful carries from Josh van der Flier and Bundee Aki.
But Ireland's discipline again deserted them when, just as Cian Prendergast came on at the end of the 20-minute red-card period, Crowley was sin-binned for knocking the ball out of Reinach's hands at the ruck. And after Rassie Erasmus beefed up his scrum - which was dominant throughout - by sending on front-row replacements Gerhard Steenekamp and Wilco Louw, Porter was sin-binned for a scrum infringement.
South Africa awarded a penalty try shortly before the break to take an imposing 19-7 lead. Ireland could only muster six points in the second period through two Prendergast penalties, with Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu's superb individual try ensuring a first win on Irish soil for the Springboks in four attempts.
Displaying admirable fight towards the end of a trying night, the Irish pressed for a late try but were repelled by a stern Springbok defensive unit, which held on despite losing replacement Grant Williams to a yellow card late on. The Springboks wasted little time showing why they are the world's top team when Willemse finished acrobatically in the corner for the opening try.
Ireland must look forward to 2026, which begins with a daunting Six Nations visit to holders France on February 5.
Damian Willemse darted through a gap and made it 12-0 with Prendergast also sin-binned for straying offside rubbing salt in Irish wounds. The hosts' fleeting reprieve arrived when Dan Sheehan crashed over following powerful carries from Josh van der Flier and Bundee Aki.
But Ireland's discipline again deserted them when, just as Cian Prendergast came on at the end of the 20-minute red-card period, Crowley was sin-binned for knocking the ball out of Reinach's hands at the ruck. And after Rassie Erasmus beefed up his scrum - which was dominant throughout - by sending on front-row replacements Gerhard Steenekamp and Wilco Louw, Porter was sin-binned for a scrum infringement.
South Africa awarded a penalty try shortly before the break to take an imposing 19-7 lead. Ireland could only muster six points in the second period through two Prendergast penalties, with Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu's superb individual try ensuring a first win on Irish soil for the Springboks in four attempts.
Displaying admirable fight towards the end of a trying night, the Irish pressed for a late try but were repelled by a stern Springbok defensive unit, which held on despite losing replacement Grant Williams to a yellow card late on. The Springboks wasted little time showing why they are the world's top team when Willemse finished acrobatically in the corner for the opening try.
Ireland must look forward to 2026, which begins with a daunting Six Nations visit to holders France on February 5.
but south africa just crushed them 24-13 lol what a game tho Damian de allende is such a beast 
and i cant even imagine how frustrating it must be for the irish players to be sin binned like 4 times 
cian prendergast trying to make up for his teammate's mistakes was pretty impressive though 
and that south africa scrum was on point btw 
can't wait to see what 2026 brings for ireland, hopefully they can take down france 
they just destroyed ireland's hopes of winning 
dan willemse is like a gazelle out there 
and i love how rassie erasmus made those scrum changes to give them an edge 
it was like irish discipline just fell apart all over the place 
but seriously, ireland's gotta bring their a-game if they wanna take on france in 2026 
this springbok squad is like a well-oiled machine, you can tell they've got that top team mentality going on... but at the same time, i'm like what's the point of all this winning if it just means more pressure to perform next game? 
and can we talk about how the irish players are putting in performances that aren't getting the recognition they deserve? it's all so much hype around the south african team, like what about the hard work being put in by the irish players behind the scenes?
that's what it feels like for the irish squad right now, they've got some great players but they're struggling to gel. and at the same time, those south african players seem to be feeding off each other's energy... it's like they're unstoppable because they believe in themselves.
. And poor Prendergast, getting sent off is just not good for your team 
. But you gotta give credit to Dan Sheehan for scoring that try after all those powerful carries from Josh van der Flier and Bundee Aki 
. South Africa's front-row replacements really made a difference, too 
!
, it was like they were unstoppable 
. And Damian de Allende's line-break try? Game-changer 
. I'm still trying to figure out what went wrong for them... maybe they need to work on their defense? 
south africa totally annihilated ireland 24-13 they got their powerbacks back and showed why they're the top team in the world 
and then cheslin kolbe just surged through the gap like he didn't even see anyone 
this ruggers season is crazy! South Africa just absolutely annihilated Ireland 24-13 and I'm still trying to wrap my head around it... they're literally the best team in the world right now 
anyway gotta respect South Africa's performance, they played like the champs they are 
. Can't wait for the 6 Nations next year tho, especially France vs Ireland, that's gonna be a cracker! 
. but for real, Ireland was like "oh no, we got outsmarted by the Springboks again" 
Can you believe South Africa just gave Ireland a serious "spring" back 
? The Springboks were like the ultimate party crashers - showing up uninvited, power-packed and ready to rock! 
Damian de Allende's line-break was like the spark that lit the fuse, and Cheslin Kolbe's speed through the Irish defense? Forget about it, he left them in the dust! 
It's like they were trying to give South Africa all the freebies 
. But seriously, the Irish just gotta work on their discipline if they wanna take down the big guns 
. Ireland needs to regroup and figure out how to stop those powerful Springbok forwards 
.
. And credit to them for showing why they're the top team in the world 
. Ireland's gotta step it up next season, especially with those Six Nations games coming up 
. They can't afford to go 0-5 against France and England 
anyway i'm not gonna lie south africa played like champs 
.
that south africa game was like a masterclass in rugby skills 
and who knows, maybe next year will be their year?