Ciarán Frawley drop-goals Ireland to sensational win over Boks at Kings Park

The name Ciarán Frawley will go down in Irish folklore after his two long-range drop-goals gave Ireland a sensational 25-24 win over the Springboks at Kings Park. 

Frawley, on at flyhalf for Jack Crowley, landed one drop-goal 10 minutes from time, and another with the final kick of the match, to seal the phenomenal victory.

It was a bitter blow for the Boks, who are the masters of the one-point win. They finally got to feel what it’s like on the other side of that scoreline. 

It was probably even more chastening for the world champions because they dug themselves out of a huge halftime hole when they were 16-6 down, to lead by five points with 10 minutes to go. 

On home soil, with their reputation for closing out matches, it would’ve been a brave person to bet against them winning from there. 

But ultimately, it was the more prosaic approach by Ireland that won the day. 

Frawley’s drop-goals were both from 40 metres out. And although the Boks protested that wing Cheslin Kolbe was impeded as he tried to chase the match-winning kick, it was in vain.

Frawley was the picture of composure as he slammed home the winning kicks, to stun the seething Kings Park crowd. 

The kick that won the game, started with a scrum inside Ireland’s 22. They took the ball a phase, and it was Frawley’s deep kick, which was a brave decision, that led to the try. 

It was a perfectly weighted kick; the Boks could only force the ball to touch. Ireland had a lineout, which they won to set the stage for Frawley’s heroics. 

Boks centre Damian de Allende tries to evade Ireland counterpart Garry Ringrose. (Photo: Steve Haag Sports / Gallo Images)

Better team

Ireland had been the better team for much of the first half, running into a 10-point lead on the back of better breakdown work and a superior kicking game. 

The Boks were on the back foot in terms of territory and possession and in the contact area.

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Ireland managed a first-half try from veteran scrumhalf Conor Murray, after a tremendous build-up involving centre Robbie Henshaw and fullback Jamie Osborne, and a slick inside pass, which was the only time the Bok defence was breached as well. 

The home team were well off the pace at halftime, but the good news was that they were still in the game — just. It needed an immediate response at the start of the second half and that’s what they delivered.

After halftime, new Boks emerged from the tunnel, with more energy and anger.

They piled into Ireland from the start of the half as the tourists conceded the first five penalties of the stanza before they could catch their breath.

Handrè Pollard landed a total of eight out of eight penalty kicks, six of them in the second half, for all his team’s 24 points. But the reality was that the Boks could not break through Ireland’s stubborn green wall of defence.

Bok fullback Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, who came on in the third minute for injured Willie le Roux, is tackled by Josh van der Flier. (Photo: Steve Haag Sports / Gallo Images)

The Boks lineout was solid but not an attacking weapon. They lost a couple of throws at crucial times, and even when they did win the ball, they did not try to set a rolling maul at all. Ireland’s maul defence, which coach Rassie Erasmus praised in the week, ensured that they stayed away from that tactic.

But even so, the Boks were brilliant in the third quarter, putting Ireland on the ropes with ferocious breakdown power, with more possession. 

Hooker Malcolm Marx, on early in the second half, looked like his old self in the battle for the ball on the deck, while others such as Pieter-Steph du Toit, Siya Kolisi and Ox Nché battled hard. It led to momentum shifting the home team’s way, and they accumulated the points through Pollard’s boot.

They chipped away at the lead but there was always a nagging feeling that without a try, the game would come down to the wire. That’s exactly what happened. 

Ireland’s response

Ireland coach Andy Farrell had promised a response from his team after losing the first Test 27-20, and they proved that it wasn’t empty rhetoric.

The Ireland that started this match were sharper and had more energy and urgency than at Loftus. 

Moving Tadhg Beirne to blindside flank paid off as he was colossal in stopping Bok momentum, while they also powered up their lineout with James Ryan and Beirne on the field.

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Captain Caelan Doris led from the front, even though he had a yellow card for a reckless cleanout on Marx.

Eben Etzebeth's face epitomised the battle between the Boks and Ireland on 13 July 2024 in Durban. (Photo: Anton Geyser / Gallo Images)

Ireland’s aerial kicking game was also superior in the first half. Young Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, on for the concussed Willie le Roux three minutes into the game, was peppered.

He struggled initially but once he settled into the game, Feinberg-Mngomezulu gave a strong display.

After halftime he attacked with flair from deep, causing Ireland a host of problems as he scythed through gaps that were almost non-existent. 

But for all his individual flair, the Boks’ attack lacked the structure and cohesion of Loftus. There were moments of individual brilliance, but overall the attack was collectively blunt.

In a game of fine margins, the Boks will rue several sorties into Ireland territory that didn’t yield more than a penalty.

“The way we started wasn’t good, and we’ve only got ourselves to blame,” Kolisi said.

“We weren’t all on the same page or firing at the same time, but you must also give credit to the guys who came on to fight our way back into the game.

“It would have been great to win the series and we’re definitely hurting, but we’re not dead and we will come back again.

“We allowed them to set the tone for the game in the first half. There’s so much we can improve as a group. Each of us as an individual is going to look at ourselves.” DM 

Ireland's superb defence won the day. Hooker Ronan Kelleher and Josh van der Flier double-tackle RG Snyman.
(Photo: Steve Haag Sports / Gallo Images)

Scorers:

South Africa – Penalties: Handré Pollard (8)

Ireland – Try: Conor Murray. Conversion: Jack Crowley. Penalties: Crowley (5). Drop-Goals: Ciarán Frawley (2)