Allister Coetzee clinched victory in his first series as Springbok coach, as South Africa held out for a hard-fought 19-13 victory over Ireland in Port Elizabeth.
Allister Coetzee clinched victory in his first series as Springbok coach, as South Africa held out for a hard-fought 19-13 victory over Ireland in Port Elizabeth.
Five minutes into the game, Springbok fly-half Elton Jantjies nailed a penalty from the edge of the touchline just outside Ireland's 22. Four minutes later, he had a chance to double the Springboks' lead from just inside opposition territory, but missed.
In the 11th minute, the hosts' full-back, Willie Le Roux, was given a yellow card for taking out his opposite number, Tiernan O'Halloran, in a similar incident to the one which saw CJ Stander sent off at Newlands for his tackle on Pat Lambie.
O'Halloran suffered the full force of the blow and went off injured. He was replaced by Matt Healy.
Nevertheless, in the 16th minute, Ireland made their man advantage count, scoring a try through centre Luke Marshall. Fly-half Paddy Jackson converted.
Two minutes later, O'Halloran was back on the field, putting to rest any fears the Irish may have had.
Jackson had the chance to extend Ireland's lead to seven points in the 21st minute. However, like Jantjies, he failed to hit the spot on his second attempt.
Just two minutes later, Jackson made amends – slotting home a penalty kick from just inside opposition territory.
32 minutes in, Jantjies hit back with a penalty of his own from close to halfway out, cutting Ireland's lead back down to four points.
Eager to add to his earlier try, Marshall darted through the Springbok defence on the break. However, he failed to make it all the way and some sloppy play saw the Irish give away a scrum on their opponents' 22.
On the stroke of half-time, the Springboks made them pay. JP Pietersen raced onto a sublime chip from Jantjies and scored in the corner. The fly-half finished off what he started, adding the extra two points. The Springboks went into the break with a 13-10 lead.
The second half got off to a slow start, with the first big cheer from the crowd coming when Steven Kitshoff was handed his Springbok debut in the 57th minute. He and Julian Redelinghuys replaced Tendai "Beast" Mtawarira and Frans Malherbe.
Ruan Combrinck nailed the longest penalty kick of the night two minutes later, changing the atmosphere inside Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
Another Springbok debutant, Jaco Kriel, received an even hotter reception than Kitshoff when he came on for Siya Kolisi in the 60th minute.
With 12 minutes left on the clock, Jantjies slotted a penalty over. For the first time in the game, the Springboks led by more than a converted try.
However, the Boks' breathing space lasted for a mere minute – as Jackson hit back with a penalty kick of his own.
Ireland spent much of the last five minutes of the game camped near the Springboks' try line. However, resolute defence from South Africa – including their third debutant, Bongi Mbonambi, prevented them from winning a series in the country for the first time.
