RWC 2023: Boks face low road after Ireland win a thriller in Paris to underline favourites status

Ireland 13 (7) South Africa 8 (3) 

Victory for Ireland all but ensures they will top Pool B as they have 14 points from three matches with a final game against Scotland to come. The Boks have 10 log points with Tonga to play in Marseille next week.

The Boks’ problems were summed up in the final play of the match when they won a lineout from 10 metres, started a maul and were unable to score as Ireland held them up. Not for the first time in the match, Ireland’s immense defence and nous in the dark arts stopped the Boks.

Ireland won the breakdown battle and made more of their chances. The Boks did not. Not for the first time this season, the Boks left points scattered on the turf.

Manie Libbok missed two shots at goal as did Faf de Klerk – 11 points not taken. In a game of such fine margins, it was crucial and it will force a massive rethink from the coaching staff because it’s obvious to everyone that wasting scoring chances is going to end the defence of the title earlier than it should. 

Libbok does so much well, but he’s clearly lacking confidence from the tee while De Klerk and others such as Cheslin Kolbe, are makeshift kickers. Handre Pollard’s return to the squad will raise the goal-kicking question again, but that’s a story for another day.

The controversial seven-one split between backs and forwards did not backfire, but it didn’t yield the desired outcome either. Deon Fourie, at hooker, was solid with one skew throw, while Cobus Reinach, the only back on the bench, was only required in the final five minutes.

As an experiment, it wasn’t a failure but it wasn’t a roaring success either. Ireland did struggle at times in the set piece, but everywhere else they held their own and edged it when it came to finishing.

Worthy of a final 

This was simply a brutal Test worthy of the final and it could well be the final on 28 October, although there is a lot of rugby to be played before then.

This was Ireland’s 16th straight Test match win and they have underlined their status as the team to beat, but no one will want to face the Boks either.

It was a match of the highest quality for the most part. Hard, played on the ragged edge, but never spilling over into anything illegal. There is a great deal of respect between the sides and it showed in the contest.

But the final penalty count of 11 to eight against the