Late drama sparks wild celebrations at Kings Park as Ireland claim only second win over Springboks on South African soil
Having suffered the heartbreak of a missed drop goal in Leinster’s recent Champions Cup final defeat to Toulouse, Frawley came off the bench to nervelessly slot two late drop goals and snatch victory with the last kick of an enthralling game in Durban.
At the end of rugby’s longest season, Ireland will make the long journey home from South Africa with a drawn series in the bag following a stunning performance that spoke volumes for the character and quality of this team.
For just the second time in history, Ireland beat the Springboks in their own backyard, as Andy Farrell’s side followed up the 2016 win by bouncing back in style from last weekend’s first Test defeat.
In terms of marking his 50th game as Ireland head coach, this is exactly what Farrell would have demanded from his players, as they dug deep to deliver a remarkable display that was packed full of energy, aggression and class.
Farrell made no secret of his frustrations from Pretoria, and the Ireland boss got the desired response, as he was fully vindicated in his team selection for what was a memorable victory at a heaving Kings Park.
Conor Murray’s first-half try had put Ireland in charge, but they looked as though they had paid a heavy price for a host of penalty concessions before Frawley stepped up.
Josh van der Flier of Ireland is tackled by Frans Malherbe and Pieter-Steph du Toit of South Africa during the second Testat Kings Park in Durban, South Africa. Photo: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
Ireland captain Caelan Doris was having another huge game until his 47th minute yellow card helped tip the balance back in the hosts’ favour.
Frawley’s superb drop-goal 10 minutes from full-time put Ireland back within touching distance before the Skerries native repeated the trick at the death.
With the pack, led by the impressive Joe McCarthy, James Ryan and Doris taking the fight to the hosts, Ireland gave as good as they got in the physical exchanges.
Blood spilled from several players in what was a brutally physical contest, with the Boks suffering an early blow by losing their influential full-back Willie le Roux to a head injury before towering lock Franco Mostert followed him off.
Far more dominant in the collisions following a midweek rocket from Farrell, Ireland were already on the board thanks to a Jack Crowley penalty when Murray scored off a pre-rehearsed intricate goal-line drop-out move.
Doris was again central to the score, as a powerful midfield carry set the wheels in motion for Andrew Porter, Crowley, Jamie Osborne and Robbie Henshaw combined to put Murray under the sticks for a stunning try.
Crowley’s conversion gave Ireland a dream 10-0 lead on 15 minutes but it was quickly reduced when Handre Pollard kicked a penalty, as the hosts began to get the edge at scrum time.
A blocked Crowley kick almost resulted in a try for Kwagga Smith, but the Ireland defence scrambled well, as Osborne and Garry Ringrose helped keep their line intact.
Another big defensive set ended with Joe McCarthy coming up with a crucial turnover, but another scrum penalty, this time against the head, resulted in a second successful Pollard kick.
The Boks immediately gave those three points back, however, as Pieter-Steph du Toit was penalised for blocking Henshaw off the ball, which allowed Crowley to cancel out Pollard’s effort.
With half-time fast approaching, Osborne, who was growing in confidence with each passing minute, did well to release James Lowe down the left and when Pollard carried the ball back over his own line, it gave Ireland a chance to stretch their advantage.
It took an amazing last-ditch tackle from Du Toit on Doris to keep Ireland out before Ringrose fumbled the ball on penalty advantage. Rather than roll the dice, Crowley pointed to the posts and restored the 10-point lead (16-6) at the break.
Ireland had another poor decision from Faf de Klerk to thank for South Africa not immediately hitting back after the restart after a searing break from Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Cheslin Kolbe.
Coughing up three points wasn’t the worst outcome, but that was compounded when Doris was binned for a croc roll on Malcolm Marx, with two Pollard penalties bringing the Boks to within four.
Playing with 14 players and very much under the pump, Ireland were beginning to look ragged, and as Ryan was pinged for offside, Pollard was once again on hand to punish the offence.
Ireland’s discipline was now a major concern, with Andrew Porter the latest to fall foul of referee Karl Dickson’s whistle, as Pollard’s sixth penalty put his side in front for the first time in the game.
Farrell sent for reinforcements and Peter O’Mahony’s first involvement was to force a penalty, which Crowley nervelessly converted, but Ireland were unable to maintain control, as two further Pollard kicks gave the Boks a 24-19 advantage heading into the final quarter.
Ireland required a late rescue act and they thought they had come up with one, only to have been held up over the line, but Frawley had the final say with two sweet strikes of his right boot to spark wild celebrations.
Scorers – South Africa: Pollard 8 pens. Ireland: Murray try, Crowley 4 pens, 1 con, Frawley 2 drop goals.
South Africa: W le Roux (S Feinberg-Mngomezulu 2); C Kolbe, J Kriel, D de Allende, K-L Arendse; H Pollard, F de Klerk (G Williams 44); O Nche (G Steenekamp 59), B Mbonambi (M Marx 46), F Malherbe (V Koch 46); E Etzebeth (RG Snyman 8-17), F Mostert (Snyman 17); S Kolisi (capt) (M van Staden 50), P-S du Toit, K Smith.
Ireland: J Osborne; C Nash (C Frawley 59), G Ringrose, R Henshaw, J Lowe; J Crowley (S McCloskey 66), C Murray (C Blade, 59); A Porter (C Healy 57), R Kelleher (R Herring 65), T Furlong (F Bealham 44); J McCarthy, J Ryan (R Baird 57); T Beirne, J van der Flier (P O’Mahony, 57), C Doris (capt).
Referee: K Dickson (England).
