Join the Miguel Delaney team: Inside Football Join the Miguel Delaney Inside newsletter to get exclusive access and unparalleled insight. Football NewsletterJoin the Miguel Delaney inside Football newsletterIreland head coach Andy Farrell admitted he had not “seen a game like that ever” as he took exception to a chaotic 24-13 defeat to South Africa being described as “shambolic”.The hosts lost lock James Ryan to a 20-minute red card during a remarkable first half in which team-mates Sam Prendergast, Jack Crowley and Andrew Porter were sin-binned.Ireland’s repeated infringements followed the perceived injustice of Springboks fly-half Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu avoiding an early card for a high hit on Tommy O’Brien.With Farrell’s side down to 13 men, hooker Dan Sheehan crossed in response to scores from Damian Willemse and Cobus Reinach, before a penalty try moved the world champions 19-7 ahead at the break.open image in galleryIreland were reduced to 12 men (REUTERS)Ireland returned to the field with 12 players following the departure of Porter and somehow outscored South Africa in a spirited second half thanks to a pair of Prendergast penalties, either side of a try from Feinberg-Mngomezulu.Paddy McCarthy became the fourth Irishman to be yellow carded before South Africa celebrated ending a 13-year wait for a win in Dublin.Farrell responded, “I would say chaotic. I won’t repeat what you said because I don’t think you are right.” When it was suggested that the first half of the match was “borderline shambolic”, he took exception.”You’ve got it under control, and I’ve not seen a match like that before. We will do that, and we’ll make sure that we learn from it.The first thing I thought about this game was that I’m unbelievably stoked. So for you to open the conversation in such a way is not acceptable.”After Willemse’s fourth-minute score, Ireland thought they had levelled through a Tadhg Beirne try, only for second-row partner Ryan to be penalised for an illegal clearout on Malcolm Marx in the build-up.Ryan was initially sin-binned before the sanction was upgraded to red on review, much to the frustration of a fired-up home crowd following Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s seventh-minute challenge on Ireland wing O’Brien.open image in galleryJames Ryan was sent off for Ireland (AP)South Africa prop Boan Venter had a 26th-minute try disallowed because of a forward…
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2025-11-23 07:04:52
