South Africa 27 Ireland 20: How the Irish players rated at Loftus Versfeld

15 Jamie Osborne

Did some things well and on occasion looked unfamiliar in the fullback role. No surprise. Great read off James Lowe for his try and composed under pressure. Rating: 7

14 Calvin Nash

Was tied up defending and scrambling for most of his time. Never got the space and ball to run at South Africa but grafted away. Rating: 7

13 Robbie Henshaw

Took a big hit from Springbok captain Siya Solisi early on. Still kept busy with ball in hand and tackling. Out wide some collective defensive issues. Rating: 7

12 Bundee Aki

Not as dynamic as last time out in France. Lots of good defensive work and got stuck in but little menacing runs forward from the Connacht centre. Rating: 7

11 James Lowe

Did brilliantly to feed Osborne for his try. Did it all himself for another one disallowed. At the centre of everything. Yes. Kolbe’s try too. Still. Rating: 8

10 Jack Crowley

Missed a few first-half kicks that were costly but managed himself well and stayed resilient under enormous pressure and always probing. Rating: 7

9 Craig Casey

Gave Ireland the high tempo they wanted. Marshalling and chiding his players and always a fierce competitor until replaced by Conor Murray after the fit from RG Snyman. Rating: 7

[ South Africa 27 Ireland 20: As it happened ]

1 Andrew Porter

Mixed bag from the dependable prop. A few penalties given away but as ever sound in the scrum and a bruiser around the park. Rating: 8

2 Dan Sheehan

Busy first half popping up around the pitch. Not much space although almost broke away with an early interception. Went off injured at half-time. Rating: 7

3 Tadhg Furlong

Typical Furlong shift, a lot of the tackling, short carries and his work in a crowded breakdown area was excellent. No space for long carries today. Rating: 8

4 Joe McCarthy

Mixed bag from the big man. Used his strength well under Springbok pressure but knocked on and didn’t roll away for a penalty. Rating: 7

5 Tadhg Beirne

Never far from the ball with a lot of his abrasive hard work going unseen. Intercept and turnover in the second half where he was more visible. Rating: 8

6 Peter O’Mahony

Played his guts out for 50 minutes in the engine room of tackling and making a nuisance of himself. Lineout option too, all under pressure. Rating: 7

7 Josh van der Flier

Always involved in attritional play, although can be more visible. Great turnover in the second half but maybe still a per cent or two off his best. Rating: 7

8 Caelan Doris

Perhaps Ireland’s most effective player on the day. Carried very well, led well on the pitch and almost came away with a try at the end. Rating: 8

Replacements

Garry Ringrose tidied up the fringe defence, which was a first-half problem. Ryan Baird added some sharpness and go forward and scored a try as did Conor Murray. Overall, the impact worked both ways as the scrum yielded a try too. Rating: 7

Coach

Andy Farrell picked a team that could have won this match, although it only came to life in the second half. Some excellent play although the scrum try at the end is a concern. The team showed resilience and have an ethic that keeps going. Expect better next week. Rating: 7