Ireland shown five cards as Boks win chaotic Test

Quilter Nations Series

Ireland (7) 13

Try: Sheehan Con: Crowley Pens: Prendergast 2

South Africa (19) 24

Tries: Willemse, Reinach, penalty try, Feinberg-Mngomezulu Con: Feinberg- Mngomezulu

Ill-disciplined Ireland were shown five cards as South Africa produced a typically power-packed performance to win a chaotic, bruising autumn Test - their first victory in Dublin since 2012.

Having bounced back from an opening November loss to the All Blacks, Ireland had hoped to claim a statement win over the world champions to end 2025 on a high.

But coach Andy Farrell was forced to rip up his gameplan on a hectic and deeply frustrating evening which yielded a red card for James Ryan and yellows for Sam Prendergast, Jack Crowley, Andrew Porter and Paddy McCarthy.

Damian Willemse gave the tourists a dream start with a fourth-minute try, before Ryan's yellow for a high hit on Malcolm Marx in the build-up to Tadhg Beirne's disallowed try.

After the card was upgraded to a 20-minute red, Cobus Reinach extended the Springboks' lead with Prendergast also sin-binned, before Dan Sheehan crossed for Ireland.

In a devastating end to the half for the Irish, though, they went down to 12 men as Crowley and Porter were also shown yellows, while Rassie Erasmus' men were awarded a penalty try to take an imposing 19-7 lead at the break.

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.

Ireland end eventful first half with 12 players

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 after Damian de Allende's line-break and Cheslin Kolbe's surge through a gap in the Irish defence.

From there, the hosts found only frustration in a first half littered with controversial moments and TMO interruptions.

In Ireland's first meaningful attack after the Willemse try, Mack Hansen found Tommy O'Brien on the right wing and, while the Leinster man was taken out by Feinberg-Mngomezulu with what appeared a no-arms tackle, the young Bok fly-half controversially escaped a yellow card.

Ryan, however, did not. After the Leinster second row recklessly lunged at Thomas du Toit in a ruck, Beirne's try was chalked off and Ryan's yellow then upgraded to a 20-minute red following a review.

South Africa, who restored their key players to the line-up after rotating for last week's win in Italy, were also denied by the TMO when Boan Venter's try was ruled out because of Jasper Wiese's forward pass to Eben Etzebeth.

Ireland, however, could not repel South Africa's muscle for long and, following a spell spent camped in home territory, Reinach darted through a gap and made it 12-0 with Prendergast's yellow card for straying offside rubbing salt in Irish wounds.

The hosts' fleeting reprieve arrived three minutes before the break when Sheehan crashed over following powerful carries from Josh van der Flier and Bundee Aki.

Instead of ending the half strongly, however, 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 Erasmus beefed up his scrum by sending on front-row replacements Gerhard Steenekamp and Wilco Louw, Porter was sin-binned for a scrum infringement.

It came shortly before a head-spinning half of rugby was ended by English referee Matthew Carley when he awarded the Boks a penalty try that extended their advantage.

More to follow.

Line-ups

Ireland: M Hansen; T O'Brien, G Ringrose, B Aki, J Lowe; S Prendergast, J Gibson-Park; A Porter, D Sheehan, T Furlong, J Ryan, T Beirne, R Baird, J van der Flier, C Doris (capt).

Replacements: R Kelleher, P McCarthy, F Bealham, C Prendergast, J Conan, C Casey, J Crowley, T Farrell.

Red card: Ryan

Yellow cards: Prendergast, Crowley, Porter, McCarthy

South Africa: D Willemse; C Moodie, J Kriel, D de Allende, C Kolbe; S Feinberg-Mngomezulu, C Reinach; B Venter, M Marx, T du Toit, E Etzebeth, R Nortje, S Kolisi (capt), PS du Toit, J Wiese.

Replacements: J Grobbelaar, G Steenekamp, W Louw, RG Snyman, K Smith, A Esterhuizen, G Williams, M Libbok

Match officials

Referee: Matthew Carley (RFU)

Assistant referees: Karl Dickson (RFU) & Christophe Ridley (RFU)

Television match official: Andrew Jackson (RFU)

Foul play review officer: Dan Jones (RFU)