The Rugby World Cup still has five more weeks to run and this was only a pool game. It is almost impossible to conceive, even so, of a heavier-duty occasion than this impossibly physical Saturday night smackdown in Saint-Denis. The intensity was off the scale and when the final whistle sounded it was as much a case of counting the survivors back in again as totting up the actual points.
There was also the knowledge that these sides could yet bump into each other again at the tournament’s business end. If so, strap in. Some big games struggle to live up to the hype but here was a match as relentlessly tight and tense as any final. For Ireland to come out on top ranks up there with anything they have achieved on their rise to the top of the world rankings.
The pace of the game was also other worldly at times, a sizeable step up on anything else seen in France yet. Multiple tries are not always required to ensure a classic and no pool game at any previous World Cup has ever previously featured the top two teams in the world. Ireland have now extended their remarkable run to 28 wins in their past 30 Tests, underpinned by a 33rd-minute Mack Hansen try, but they will be the first to appreciate that, for the moment, it guarantees nothing.
It would also have been a different story had South Africa kicked their goals. Three penalties and a conversion went astray and in a ferociously hard-fought game it was to prove the most significant difference between two well-matched sides. As a result, unless Scotland have other ideas, there is now every chance of Ireland meeting New Zealand in the quarter-finals, with France facing the Boks. What a compelling pair of fixtures those would be.
Then again, they will have to be quite something to eclipse this demolition derby. Every World Cup has its defining days and the atmosphere surrounding this game was equally sensational, with about 35,000 travelling Irish fans over for the game and South Africa also well represented. After the final whistle, as they played Zombie by the Cranberries over the stadium speakers, it was as if St Patrick’s Day had been shifted to September.
Never before, certainly, has the cathedral of French rugby resembled such a super-sized greenhouse. From the moment Siya Kolisi released the hand of the small mascot he was escorting on to the field and sprinted away into the distance, looking up to the heavens for inspiration, it was clear this was no ordinary fixture. Rugby has its imperfections but this was as thunderously gladiatorial as any sporting event this year.
From start to finish some of the hits all but made the ground shake. The Springboks were still pounding away on the Irish line in the final moments but, try as they might, they could not break their resolve. While it was a mighty close call on occasions, with the Boks frustrated close to the line on four or five times, Ireland currently possess the winning knack. It is now 16 Test victories in a row and counting.
They had to dig properly deep for this one. Some early lineout inaccuracies – five went astray in the opening 40 minutes – undermined their first-half efforts and they also had to absorb a lot of punishment. The most worrying moment came when the powerful Damien de Allende smashed into Johnny Sexton’s right shoulder and only a last-gasp rip from James Lowe saved his side in the subsequent melee on their own line.
One of the strengths of Andy Farrell’s green army, though, is their mental resilience and their ability to make the most of their visits to opponents’ 22. Sure enough, following a slicing break-out from the in-form Bundee Aki, Lowe’s quick transfer to his right found an unmarked Hansen, who was able to dot down just inside the dead-ball line.
Sexton’s conversion made it 7-3 at the interval and some of the statistics made interesting reading. Ireland had conceded only three penalties in the first 40 minutes compared to South Africa’s seven and five turnovers also reflected their hard work at the breakdown. There was a strong sense, even so, that they needed to build a lead. To the uninitiated a 7-1 split sounded like a price a sophisticated bookmaker might offer and South Africa had clearly taken a calculated punt with their bench selection. Barring accidents, though, this was a team built to finish even more strongly than they had started.
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Sure enough, seven minutes after the resumption, on rumbled the first “Bomb Squad” platoon. And three minutes after that, with advantage being played for a scrum penalty, Manie Libbok hurled a long pass to his left for the lurking Cheslin Kolbe to finish. Would it be the turning point? Not this time. Neither Faf de Klerk nor Libbok could reliably bisect the uprights when it really mattered and entering the final quarter South Africa also could not exploit a couple of glorious attacking positions.
After a Jack Crowley drop goal had been touched in flight, giving Ireland an unexpected five-metre scrum, the Boks found themselves under further pressure and the young Irish replacement fly-half was presented with the chance to extend the advantage with three minutes left on the clock. Was it over? Back down the other end stormed South Africa but, crucially, their formidable set piece twice failed to deliver. If these sides do collide again in this same arena next month, we already know how absurdly thin the margins will be.
