‘It was an unbelievable Test match’ – Peter O’Mahony reflects on Ireland’s narrow defeat to the Springboks

“We knew it was going to be very difficult here [in Pretoria]. It was an unbelievable Test match. We had a couple of errors that put us under pressure but I thought South Africa’s attack with their width was a bit of a change up.

“They attacked really well but we stuck in there and we fought hard right to the end. We will go away, [address] a few things like mistakes; but overall a great test match,” O’Mahony said.

Player ratings as Ireland lose to South Africa

Ireland got the better of the Springboks 13-8 during their Pool B encounter during the 2023 Rugby World Cup, however South Africa edged it by seven points today. When asked about just how tight the recent contests have been between the two nations, the openside flanker agreed stating that there was little to separate the sides once again.

“I think that’s the way it is with teams at this level. It’s always the fine margins and we probably missed a few things attack-wise in the first half. They caught us out with some great attack and defensively we could be a bit better, but as you said its all in the fine margins,” the 34-year-old explained.

With the scores poised at 13-8, James Lowe hared up the left touchline to dot down after some excellent counter-rucking from Bundee Aki. Heartbreak would ensue shortly after as TMO Ben Whitehouse adjudged Ronan Kelleher to have played the ball with his feet at the base of the ruck. However, Ireland’s captain felt no animosity towards the match officials’ decision.

“We will look back to see what we can improve on. You can’t really effect that sort of refereeing decision. I’m sure he [referee Luke Pearce and TMO official Ben Whitehouse] got that decision spot on.

“There’s probably other stuff in the game that we can improve on breakdown-wise. The defensive decisions and that sort of thing so we will go away and have a good look,” O’Mahony concluded.

The Springboks’ 27-20 win marks the Rainbow Nations’ first success over Ireland in 8 years. The two countries will conclude the two-Test series next Saturday in Durban on the 13th of July.