Rugby World Cup: Ireland wins a clash of titans against South Africa


Ireland makes an impression: the world number 1s defeated the South African world champions (13-8) in the titanic clash of Pool B of the 2023 World Cup, Saturday at the Stade de France. We had to gain the psychological ascendancy in this final before time, without any real accounting issues. The Irish and South Africans got attached to it, marking the bodies as they went, with extraordinary physical intensity. It was successful for Ireland, who won a 16th victory in a row, while the two teams could meet in the final.

What did the South Africans miss? A scorer. Unable to convert the domination of their forwards into points, they missed their chance, the fault of their two scorers, Manie Libbock and Faf De Klerk. They may regret the absence of Handré Pollard and will wait for the opener, who was due to make his return later in the competition. On the Clover side, there was Johnny Sexton, a master at playing and unfazed by the poles when it came to sticking to them.

Bundee Aki untenable

The star fly-half, however, chose not to kick straight away, setting the tone of the match very early on. We had to score quickly and hard, before the South African power did its work of destruction. So, benefiting from a penalty in the 22 meters very well within his ropes from the very first minutes, Sexton chose the penalty.

Alas, in great difficulty with his own throws (3 touches lost in the South African 22 meters in the first quarter of an hour), the XV of Clover did not benefit from it. Terrible in touch, pushed around in scrums, the Irish only owed their salvation to intense activity on the rucks. Because opposite, Manie Libbock, after scoring the first penalty, launched the South African game. Simpler, certainly, but just as effective for moving forward.

And Bundee Aki appears. The stocky center offered a magnificent breakthrough in the aggressive South African defense. If the solitary ride did not immediately allow us to score, it changed the pressure on the side (30th) and obtained a new penalty in the South African 22 meters. Here again, Sexton did not take the three points, but tried the penalty again. After several periods of play, the 38-year-old Irish opener caused a surplus by straightening his course. Off the coast, James Lowe sent Mack Hansen to score a try full of intelligence from the Irish (7-3, 34th).

Too many points left on the way, south-af side

Finally, while the “Boks” were skating, there was the entry of Jacques Nienaber’s “bomb squad”. In a few minutes, the South African coach brought in his seven replacement forwards. If the tactical innovation had worked in August at Twickenham, inflicting New Zealand’s worst defeat in its history (35-7), it narrowly failed again at the Stade de France. Finally finding a dominating scrum, the Springboks sent Cheslin Kolbe on trial to go in front (7-8, 47th). Except that South Africa was missing a scorer.

Libbock, who had already missed a penalty in the first period, failed again on the conversion. And as Faf De Klerk was not successful either, the world champions let 11 points slip away. Opposite, Sexton did not waste his meager opportunity to widen the gap, not necessarily deserved given the South African domination in the second half (10-8, 59th). In a crazy atmosphere and carried by more than 30,000 supporters, Ireland, with Jack Crowley entering in place of Sexton, then crucified the “Boks” (13-8, 77th).

All that remains is to recover from the Battle of Saint-Denis. For Ireland, it will undoubtedly be easier. The Clover XV does not play again before Saturday October 7, but it will be against a Scotland who will undoubtedly have to win to hope to reach the quarters. For South Africa, there is no time to think about it. It is Tonga who are looming in Marseille on Sunday October 1, with a qualification to seek.





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