VIDEO: 'The guts, the bravery' from Farrell's men
REACTION: Ireland head coach Andy Farrell was a delighted figure following his team’s historic 25-24 win over South Africa on Saturday at Kings Park Stadium.
A dramatic last-second drop-goal by replacement Ciaran Frawley made sure Farrell’s men ended their season on a monumental high.
The result means Ireland levelled the two-Test series 1-1 following last weekend’s 20-27 defeat to the Springboks at Loftus Versfeld.
It was a true test of steel for the tourists as they were intent on denying the Springboks a clean sweep.
Unlike last weekend, they showed a lot more physicality and aggression in the first half which unsettled the double World Cup champs.
The Irish dominated the opening half and took a 16-6 lead.
However, things change dramatically in the second stanza.
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Captain Caelan Doris was yellow carded and a period of dominance by the Springboks saw the visitors relinquish the lead. They trailed by five points (19-24) in the 65th minute.
However 26-year-old Frawley slotted two drop-goals in the last 10 minutes to snatch the win.
“It was the sublime to the ridiculous, wasn’t it? It was a complete role reversal of last week,” Farrell told reporters after the win in Durban.
“Our first half performance was not too great last week, this week I thought it was outstanding – as good as it gets.
“The second half was good last weekend, but this one I think we’ve made enough mistakes to lose three games.
“But you just know there will always be a chance with this team, because of the guts, the bravery that they’ve got and they showed that tonight [Saturday].”
The coach had huge praise for the hero of the night Frawley and praised the Leinster back for his courage in executing the two drop-goals.
Frawley replaced Jack Crowley in the final quarter of the match.
“He kicked a ball out on the full on a cross-field kick,” Farrell explained.
“To get his composure back [was tough] and then we delivered the play.
“Stu McCloskey does unbelievably well to take the space and roll the ball in there and tackle someone into touch is a great play – to put pressure where it needed to be at the end of a Test match like that.
“But you still need guts. He had the guts in the first place to do the first drop-goal and I thought it was immense how he had the courage to take it early, so fair play to him.”
Captain Caelan Doris said Frawley was a class act.
“In terms of the first drop-goal, I thought the ball was coming to me but it went behind me and he slots it.
“Just the composer he had for the last kick, it was class.”
For the Irish, it was a fitting conclusion to a long and incredible season which included back-to-back Six Nations titles.
#⃣MATCH REPORT: Ciaran Frawley announced his arrival on the Test stage as a true match winner, slotting two late drop-goals to secure a 1-point win for @IrishRugby over the @Springboks on #Saturday 🏟️#Rugby 🏉#Rugby365🌐#RugbyUnion 🌍#RSAvIRE 🇿🇦V🇮🇪
🔗https://t.co/2YF2fE4QpV pic.twitter.com/xvpDTLCKBK— rugby365.com (@rugby365com) July 13, 2024
