South Africa 27-20 Ireland

South Africa v Ireland Match Reports

South Africa emerged victorious in Pretoria as they beat Ireland 27-20 in the battle of the two top ranked teams in the world. An early Kurt-Lee Arendse try and two Handre Pollard penalty kicks saw the Springboks build a 13-8 half-time lead. Ireland's first-half points came from the boot of Jack Crowley and a try from Jamie Osborne on his debut. Just before the hour mark, Ireland thought they had scored a try through James Lowe but play was brought back for an earlier infringment. Cheslin Kolbe picked up a loose ball and ran clear to score the Springbok's second try in the 65th minute. Connor Murray then went under the posts in the 75th minute to give Ireland hopes of a comeback. But an error directly from the restart led to the Springboks being awarded a five-metre scrum, which they used to power their way over the line and receive a penalty try. Ryan Baird added a third Ireland try in the final moments of the match, but it wasn't enough as the tourists sank to a first Test defeat. A selection of match reports is listed below:

• Autumn Internationals: South Africa underline status as top-ranked nation with gripping Ireland win
• BBC: World champions South Africa edge Ireland in first Test
• Sky Sports: Crucial TMO decisions fall Springboks way for summer series victory
• Irish Independent: Ireland fall just short in first Test as Springboks prevail in Pretoria
• Irish Times: Courageous Ireland performance comes up short as South Africa take first Test
• SA Rugby: Boks do the business against Ireland in Pretoria