Card chaos as ruthless Springboks overpower Ireland in extraordinary match

South Africa claimed their first victory in Dublin in 13 years. That it only came by 11 points was a minor miracle for Ireland. 

There were six cards issued during the match, including a 20-minute red card for James Ryan, and four yellow cards for Ireland. Pic: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

November international: Ireland 13 South Africa 24

South Africa flexed their muscles to overpower Ireland for the first time in Dublin in 13 years as the home side’s discipline and an overwhelmed scrum crumbled on Saturday evening.

The back-to-back world champions and current number one-ranked team showed exactly why they are the yardstick by which all their rivals must be judged with a powerhouse performance at a pumped-up, sold-out Aviva Stadium to deliver a second defeat of the month to Andy Farrell’s side.

Yet Ireland contributed to their own downfall despite the crowd’s displeasure with referee Matthew Carley, lock James Ryan receiving a 20-minute red card for a no-arms clearout at a ruck with Sam Prendergast, Jack Crowley and Andrew Porter following him into the sin-bin before half-time.

That Ireland lost by only 11 points was a minor miracle, their only try coming from hooker Dan Sheehan when his team was playing with just 13 men. But for all the credit Farrell’s men deserve for their resilience in restricting a rampaging Springbok side to four tries, from Damien Willemse, Cobus Reinach, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and a penalty try, this was a sobering night at the hands of the all-conquering South Africans.

Ireland had come into their final Test of the year looking for a temperature check on their status against the best team in the world and knowing it would need a near-perfect performance to end 2025 on a winning note.

Needless to say it was the opposite of perfect, Farrell’s men conceding a try after just four minutes, losing James Ryan to a 20-minute red card, and then seeing a further three yellow cards issued before half-time as Sam Prendergast, replacement Jack Crowley and Andrew Porter were all sin-binned.

The Springboks had opened the scoring despite an encouraging start from Ireland, full-back Damien Willemse powering into the left corner to finish a move which had started after a ruck penalty won by a Jasper Wiese jackal over Porter inside the South African 22. The subsequent lineout earned another penalty and Ireland paid the price as the world champions clicked into gear with ball in hand, Cheslin Kolbe providing the final pass for Willemse to grab the opening try.

Ireland responded brightly but their impetus was thwarted when wing Tommy O’Brien was tackled into touch on the right wing, Springbok fly-half Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu helping the Irishman over the whitewash with what looked like a high shoulder. Referee Matthew Carley saw it differently as Ireland supporters called for a sin-binning and only a penalty accrued, the visitors dealing with the attack comfortably, The home side’s set-piece was already creaking, the lineout issues self-inflicted with a wonky throw while the scrum was being pulverized by the Bokke front-row but Ireland’s problems deepened when Ryan was sent to the sin bin for a bunker red card review following an illegal clearout at a ruck on hooker Malcolm Marx which robbed second row partner Tadhg Beirne of a 20th-minute try.

The Springboks also had a try disallowed five minutes later for a forward pass from Wiese to Eben Etzebeth but things were beginning to unravel for Ireland. Tommy O’Brien was removed for a Head Injury Assessment after conceding a contact penalty in the 32nd minute, which brought Crowley into the match at full-back as Mack Hansen moved to the right wing.

It was a short-lived stint, initially, Sam Prendergast sin-binned as the Irish penalty count rose as Cobus Reinach claimed his side’s second try of the half, Feinberg-Mngomezulu converting for a 12-0 lead.

That sent Ireland down to 13 men but remarkably they got their first points on the board soon after, through Dan Sheehan to the delight of a pumped-up home crowd. Crowley’s conversion gave further hope but it was soon dashed, the replacement fly-half next to be yellow carded on the stroke of half-time for playing scrum-half Reinach with a hand on the number nine from the ruck.

With Ryan’s yellow card upgraded to a 20-minute red, Cian Prendergast’s introduction on 40 minutes briefly restored Ireland to 13 men, only for the Irish scrum to collapse completely under relentless pressure, Porter the next in the bin in first-half overtime after repeated penalty concessions. Referee Carley finally had no option but to award a penalty try to Rassie Erasmus’s side to bring the opening period to a merciful halt for the home crowd, South Africa in control at 19-7.

Ireland started the second half with 12 players, Sam Prendergast’s return giving a boost on 42 minutes, underwritten with a well-struck penalty. Yet the numerical advantage continued to benefit the Springboks, with Feinberg-Mngomezulu drifting past Jamison Gibson-Park to score his side’s third try on 46 minutes but missing the conversion to the ironic cheers of a beleaguered home support.

Crowley’s return from his yellow three minutes later meant O’Brien’s HIA had been failed and when Porter returned as Ireland went back to 15 men and that helped stem the bleeding despite the scrum continuing to creak. The set-piece pressure told once more with Porter’s replacement at loosehead Paddy McCarthy adding a fourth yellow to the tally on 62 minutes.

Yet Ireland were to their credit remarkably resilient, Sam Prendergast adding another penalty on 56 minutes and South Africa failing to breach a determined defensive line.

Indeed, it was Ireland who finished the match on the front foot and South Africa were the ones conceding successive penalties, replacement scrum-half Grant Williams yellow carded with two minutes remaining as the decibels rose. The stirring late rally from Ireland deserved a try to close out 2025 on something of a high but it did not come and there will be plenty of soul-searching inside the Ireland camp ahead of next year’s Six Nations.

IRELAND: M Hansen (T Farrell, 64); T O’Brien (J Crowley, 31 - HIA), G Ringrose (C Casey, 72), B Aki, J Lowe; S Prendergast, J Gibson-Park; A Porter (P McCarthy, 60), D Sheehan (R Kelleher, 56), T Furlong (F Bealham, 60); J Ryan (C Prendergast, 40, after 20min Red), T Beirne, R Baird (J Conan, 60), J van der Flier (P McCarthy, 40-50, for Porter YC, Porter 62-72 for P McCarthy YC), C Doris – captain.

20-minute Red Card: J Ryan 20-40 

Yellow cards: S Prendergast 34-44; J Crowley 40-50; A Porter 40-50; P McCarthy 62-72 

SOUTH AFRICA: D Willemse; C Moodie, J Kriel, D de Allende, C Kolbe; S Feinberg-Mngomezulu (M Libbok, 58), C Reinach (G Williams, 68); B Venter (G Steenekamp, 40), M Marx (J Grobbelaar, 66-72 - blood), T du Toit (W Louw, 40-72); E Etzebeth (RG Snyman, 50), R Nortje; S Kolisi – captain (A Esterhuizen, 58), P-S du Toit, J Wiese (K Smith, 53).

Yellow card: G Williams 78 mins

Referee: Matthew Carley (England).