How’s it going, everyone?

Welcome to The 42′s live coverage of Ireland’s meeting with the world-champion Springboks at the Aviva Stadium, Dublin.

Ah, we’ve got a potential cracker on our hands. Get the kettle on and start warming up there.

Gavan Casey with you here, and I’ll bring you live updates of the game if you can’t make it to Lansdowne Road or to a TV.

Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO

A reminder of your lineups this evening…

Ready! ⚪️ pic.twitter.com/4TQlxyG7U7

— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) November 22, 2025

The #Springboks will take on Ireland with an experienced side as RG Snyman locks in on 50 Test caps - more here: https://t.co/Y3eCk9JRsV 😤#ForeverGreenForeverGold pic.twitter.com/3inLtGN4Za

— Springboks (@Springboks) November 20, 2025

Rassie Erasmus has never won in Dublin — but South Africa are around seven-point favourites for this one with the bookmakers.

The question is: what do you reckon?

Can Ireland spring an upset, or will the Boks have too much?

About 10 minutes to go until kick-off. The atmosphere in the Aviva is electric. So many South Africans here. Must be like 70-30, maybe even 65-35 in terms of a split.

Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO

Almost time for the anthems. President Catherine Connolly is here for her first official game at the Aviva. She gets a warm reception.

Barry Murphy belts out Amhrán na bhFiann and Ireland’s Call. The South African anthem is also well received by the huge Springbok contingent at Lansdowne Road.

It’s go-time! Strap in and enjoy it!

Oh hang on, Barry’s gonna bang out ‘Zombie’ before kick-off, haha. Class.

1′ – IRE 0-0 SA: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu gets us underway.

A fun start as Ireland look to spread the ball wide and attack left through Lowe. It ends with a bit of a kick-tennis — but a penalty to Ireland inside their own half.

Prendergast line-kicks them into South African territory.

3′ – IRE 0-0 SA: Ireland’s first attack breaks down with a Springbok poach inside their own 22′. Matthew Carley gives the pen and a huge away cheer goes up inside the Aviva.

4′ – TRRRRYYYY FOR SOUTH AFRICA! DAMIAN WILLEMSE!

The Boks carve Ireland apart with their first attack. A sumptuous team score, dotted down in the left-hand corner by fullback Willemse.

That’s worrying from an Irish point of view.

Great score by the visitors, mind.

Conversion is wide but the Boks lead in Dublin!

6′ – IRE 0-5 SA: Almost a brilliant response by Ireland — a superb attack right and Tommy O’Brien is eventually funted into touch — but there looked to be a dangerous hit in there, it must be said!

Surely Carley will have a look at this. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu barreled O’Brien into the head with his shoulder!

6′ – IRE 0-5 SA: Carley goes penalty only against Feinberg-Mngomezulu. He reckons O’Brien was falling and the Springbok out-half used his arms in the tackle.

Well, it’s an opinion, anyway…

Sacha is a very lucky buachaill there. A very lucky buachaill indeed!

6′ – IRE 0-5 SA: South Africa repel Ireland in the left-hand corner and blow them off their own ball! Remarkable defence. A big missed chance for Ireland. I know it’s early, but it kinda felt like they needed to score there as an immediate response to the Feinberg-Mngomezulu infraction (and let-off from a SA POV).

10′ – IRE 0-5 SA: South Africa annihilate Ireland on their first scrum inside their own 22′. Pen advantage, a huge cheer from the SA massive, and they work it up to halfway. Advantage over but the Boks look seriously on it.

16′ – IRE 0-5 SA: This is a cracking Test match, boys and girls. South Africa on top at the breakdown, you’d have to say, but Ireland are having their moments.

Last five mins or so played mostly in midfield. Some great scrapping (legally, I mean) going on.

17′ – IRE 0-5 SA: Ireland lose a lineout at the front but get another chance as they bundle the Boks into touch. Ireland now attacking on the Boks’ 22′.

18′ – IRE 3-5 SA: Ireland win a pen on the 22′ and Prendergast hits the post — a poor miss. But James Lowe catches the rebound and Ireland are back on the attack!

20′ – IRE 0-5 SA: Tadhg Beirne crosses after Prendergast’s kick hits the post — but it’s gonna be ruled out.

James Ryan has shouldered Malcolm Marx in the head here at the breakdown. So poor by Ryan, my word.

Marx takes one in the kisser — a kind of diving, shoulder-to-head, no-wrap clear-out attempt — and Ryan is yellow carded, deservedly.

A big miss for Ireland and an escape for the Boks.

25′ – IRE 0-5 SA: A scrappy period. Tadhg Beirne counter-rucked South Africa off their own ball which roused the home crowd, but Tommy O’Brien has just had a very poor kick out on the full.

Boks on the attack!

26′ – IRE 0-5 SA: Boan Venter has a score ruled out due to a forward pass by Jasper Wiese to Ruan Nortje!

Ireland get away with one after O’Brien’s poor kick out on the full.

The Boks look irresistible in attack when they strike inside Ireland’s half, which is worrying.

27′ – IRE 0-5 SA: That’s the end of James Ryan’s day for the dangerous clear-out earlier. Ireland can’t have any complaints about that decision, really, although they’ll feel Feinberg-Mngomezulu got away with one earlier with his high hit.

29′ – IRE 0-5 SA: South African penalty just outside the Ireland 22′.

They go to touch. Bok lineout just outside the Irish 5′.

Huge chance for the visitors here!

30′ – IRE 0-5 SA: South Africa maul Ireland close to their line, with Ryan’s absence glaring.

They win another pen as the maul comes down. They opt for the scrum! Big cheer again from the away support.

Feels like a hinge point in the game, this. The Irish roar goes up — crowd seem to feel that way too.

32′ – IRE 0-5 SA: Scrum pen for SA again. Ireland in dicy territory now on their own 5′.

32′ – IRE 0-5 SA: On the previous play, Canan Moodie obliterated Tommy O’Brien — but O’Brien’s contact with his head, which left the Ireland wing worse off, is now being reviewed by Carley and co.

Penalty only is the decision — but South Africa already had a pen. They’re gonna go scrum again.

O’Brien off for a HIA. Jack Crowley on as Ireland reshuffle their backs. Crowley to fullback and Mack Hansen to right wing while O’Brien is checked.

33′ – IRE 0-5 SA: Big effort from Ireland at that scrum but Carley calls for a reset. Home crowd going nuts. Tadhg Furlong not pleased.

34′ – IRE 0-12 SA: The dam eventually breaks and Cobus Reinach crossed on the right-hand side.

Sam Prendergast yellow carded after about 50 Irish infringements in the build-up.

The Boks are irrepressible, really, but especially with a numerical advantage. A disastrous 20 minutes or so for Ireland. They’re currently down to 13 and they trail by 12.

Wow!

37′ – IRE 0-12 SA: After what feels like an eternity of South African pressure, Ireland win a pen and Crowley line-kicks Ireland into the Bok 22′.

37′ – TRYYYYYY FOR IRELAND! DAN SHEEHAN!!!

JUST LIKE THAT, THE 13 MEN STRIKE BACK!

Brilliant break by Van der Flier initially inside the Springbok 22′. Ireland have the South African defence at sixes and sevens and Sheehan finishes simply off a Gibson-Park pass.

Crowley converts — and Ireland are back in this one!

39′ – IRE 7-12 SA: Crowley pinged for a cynical act at the breakdown, very similar to his one in the 2023 URC final. Incredibly stupid. He now sits next to Sam Prendergast in the sin bin.

Cian Prendergast on after Ryan’s 20-minute red, so Ireland are restored to… 13.

Wow.

South African pen on the Irish 5′ again.

41′ – IRE 7-12 SA: Rassie makes two prop changes for this Bok scrum just outside Ireland’s 5′. Clock is red but this is a massive, massive moment in this game.

And Ireland are down two men, with both of their out-halves in the bin.

42′ – IRE 7-12 SA: Andrew Porter yellow carded — Carley has had enough of the Boks’ scrum dominance.

Ireland back down to 12.

I’ve never seen anything like this.

Paddy McCarthy on for Josh van der Flier while Porter is off.

43′ – IRE 7-19 SA: Another South African scrum pen and Carley goes under the sticks. Huge for South Africa. They lead 12-man Ireland by 12 points at the break.

Boos shower down from the stands at the Aviva — not for the players but the perceived sense of injustice. In all honesty, Ireland have been really ill-disciplined because they’ve been under the pump.

What a half for Rassie and the Boks. It’s been a systematic demolition at set-piece.

Incredible!

Apologies to anyone who got a notification, there, saying it was Ireland 7-19 Ireland. My head’s gone after that half!

41′ – IRE 7-19 SA: Back underway at Lansdowne, Mack Hansen kicked off with Prendergast and Crowley in the bin. Ireland still down to 12.

42′ – IRE 7-19 SA: Prendergast returns from the bin — Ireland back up to 13! Game on?!?

44′ – IRE 10-19 SA: Prendergast nails a pen from 45, on a right-hand angle. 10-19 is honestly not a bad return for how the last 20-25 mins have gone for Ireland.

46′ – TRRYYYYY FOR SOUTH AFRICA: Ireland, down two men, are sliced apart off a scrum after Cian Prendergast had dropped the restart following his younger brother’s penalty.

Honestly, the most inevitable try you’ll ever see. That’s a killer.

It was Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu with the score, sorry.

49′ – IRE 10-24 SA: Crowley back on for Ireland at fullback, with Tommy O’Brien off after his head injury. Mack Hansen shifts to right wing.

50′ – IRE 10-24 SA: Paddy McCarthy makes a poach on his own line to save a certain South African try. Huge intervention which just about keeps the game alive!

And Andrew Porter is now back on for him. But South Africa have another pen in the Irish 22′. This is at risk of getting ugly, folks. I might as well warn you.

51′ – IRE 10-24 SA: Ireland with the choke tackle — Ryan Baird central to it — and they stop the Boks on their own line again!

Scrum Ireland on their five-metre line, which is no gimme.

55′ – IRE 13-24 SA: Ireland win a penalty outside the Bok 22′ for an infringement at the breakdown. Prendergast slots the three. South Africa lead by 11.

57′ – IRE 13-24 SA: Ireland botch the restart again — but Cian Prendergast makes a monstrous steal inside his own 5′ to thwart another menacing Bok attack.

Ireland clinging on — but they lose the lineout from the penalty.

59′ – IRE 13-24 SA: South African pen just outside the Irish five-metre line — which feels like the 178th time I’ve typed that tonight. Cian Prendergast pinged for hands in the ruck by Carley.

59′ – IRE 13-24 SA: No surprise — they decide to scrum the pen. First one is reset. Second one almost yields a try but Lowe and Crowley hold them up over the line. Great effort. Carley goes back for a pen advantage though for not rolling away at a previous breakdown.

61′ – IRE 13-24 SA: South African scrum on the Irish 5′. Here we go again. From an Irish POV, this is unsustainable, obviously.

61′ – IRE 13-24 SA: Scrum pen again. So, back to the scrum we go…

62′ – IRE 13-24 SA: Aaand another scrum pen. Ireland’s pack looks much different now by the way. All-new front row.

63′ – IRE 13-24 SA: Paddy McCarthy goes the same way as Andrew Porter in the first half. Binned for his scrum infringements. Really, Ireland are just getting blown apart at scrum time and there’s nothing they can do about it.

Porter back on, Van der Flier sacrificed for now.

Aaaand it’s a South African scrum again on the Irish 5′.

64′ – IRE 13-24 SA: I think it was Doris who conceded a pen there at the breakdown and, perhaps out of boredom, the Boks have gone to the line instead of the scrum.

65′ – IRE 13-24 SA: Ireland, somehow, lift the siege — and Gibson-Park clears to the home 10′.

The game was just locked in South African scrum dominance for what felt like about two hours there.

69′ – IRE 13-24 SA: Mightily impressive by Ireland to weather that scrummaging storm and escape without conceding but South Africa are still in complete territorial control. Ireland struggling to get anything going in attack now and the Boks are just leeching the life out of the game — quite brilliantly, I might add.

73′- IRE 13-24 SA: Jack Crowley with an amazing recovery and break out of his 22′ on 70 minutes. Then helps to deny Canaan Moodie a try on 71, albeit it was a finger-tipper that just evaded Moodie as he dove for the chip through in Ireland’s in-goal area.

74′ – IRE 13-24 SA: Ireland win a pen in their own half and Prendergast takes them up towards the South African 22′, where they’ll have a lineout.

Kinda need to score here to give themselves any shot in the last few minutes.

75′ – IRE 13-24 SA: Ireland pen just outside the Bok 22′ — not sure what for. Don’t really care. Let’s see if they can make something happen here from the five-metre lineout.

77′ – IRE 13-24 SA: Ireland, with a pen advantage, botch a try but Snyman is yellow-carded for the finish and Ireland will go back to the line. Time against them.

No idea! Still an Irish pen.

79′ – IRE 13-24 SA: Pen Ireland again. Must score.

80′ – IRE 13-24 SA: The Boks deny Ireland again, Ireland win the ball back, there’s a deliberate knock-on in there somewhere and there’s going to be a pen to Ireland again I’d imagine — but the game is gone.

Clock is red. Ireland will get a scrum, not a pen, and they’ll chase a consolation score but South Africa have done it.

And they’ve done it very well indeed. Fair dues to the world champs.

South Africa hold out Ireland at the end.

Cheslin Kolbie boots it into touch, and that’s a wrap.

Thanks, all, for joining us for the liveblog. Murray Kinsella beside me has his report ready to go — so keep an eye on The 42 for that, plus reaction.

Ireland had five cards, including one 20-minute red for James Ryan, and their scrum was obliterated. They showed serious stones to hang in there, but the Boks were well worth their win. What a gratifying night for Rassie and co.

Catch you all soon!