Springboks down Ireland to remain top of the world at Loftus

The World Champions struggled to fully flex their muscle, but the Springboks bulged when it mattered most as they secured a hard-earned 27-20 victory here on Saturday.

Ireland illegally collapsed the marauding Bok pack and the ensuing penalty try just about rubber-stamped a first win over Ireland since 2016.

In intensity this match lived up to all the pre-match hype. It was error-filled but absorbing as neither side could fully dominate the other.

The Springboks will be satisfied and relieved they got a rare win over Ireland.

Ireland may feel they did not get the rub of the green but touring teams tend to wear a coat of envy.

Siya Kolisi led out his team amid a flame-throwing backdrop and it was followed by a raging inferno generated by the world's top-ranked teams.

Both teams are in a season of transition. The Springboks have lost key figures in their coaching staff since these teams last met and one of the lingering questions ahead of this clash was how their burgeoning attack would benefit from the addition of former All Blacks pivot Tony Brown.

There was a willingness to explore width earlier in their attack and when they did so with pace and power.

Kurt-Lee Arendse's 14th Test try was simply breathtaking. In the move, the Boks literally used their flanks to outflank Ireland. First Pieter Steph du Toit ran into contact close to the right-hand touchline before adroitly offloading, while Kolisi's dexterity helped put Arendse into space which he fully exploited. He scythed inside fullback and laid down an early marker.

Their defence too was a matter of conjecture leading up to this Test. Alert and urgent the Springbok defence rushed out to meet the challenge presented by Ireland. Du Toit, Kolisi and Kwagga Smith were warriors in that department and in the tight loose. At the back, Jesse Kriel and Damian de Allende stood firm.

Ireland were knocked out of their stride. Though Craig Cassey acquitted himself admirably, Ireland, without influential scrumhalf Jamison Gibson Park, lacked the fluidity and assuredness that usually permeates attack.

The well-drilled tourists recognised Faf de Klerk as a crucial cog in the Bok engine and the blonde dynamo was the object of much of their attention.

While Ireland had to make do without the grease that turns them over, they did bring the muscle and grit that has made them top dogs in the Six Nations. They feverishly contest every morsel of possession and are particularly proficient at causing havoc at the ruck. They harass and hurry without equal.

The Bok defence, however, ultimately helped set them apart.

Bundee Aki, who at times stepped like a bison at the Bolshoi in Paris at last year's RWC, was kept on his toes in Pretoria.

Jesse Kriel was proved a willing and able workhorse in midfield, carrying and defending with equal alacrity.

The Boks squandered scoring opportunities early in the second half that frustrated the crowd but there was a roar born of awe when the Bomb Squad was deployed in the 47th minute. Only Du Toit and Smith remained from the starting team and though the Boks went about their business with renewed verve and vigour, their precision deserted them.

They were still met with stubborn Irish defence and in their drive to up the tempo the Boks got frantic and frazzled. Their game became ragged and loose and it only served to invite more pressure.

Visiting wing James Lowe ran nearly 60m to dot down after a turnover but that effort was ruled out by the TMO.

Lowe was again a central figure, though this time his involvement resulted in a try after he acrobatically succeeded in keeping the ball in play. Regrettably, for Lowe, he knocked the ball in the path of the ever-alert Cheslin Kolbe who toed ahead and scored.

Conor Murray scored under the poles in the 75th minute but the Boks' collective muscle guaranteed them victory over their northern hemisphere rivals.