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 happenedOpens in new window ]
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
- Sign up for push alerts and have the best news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone
- Join The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date
- Listen to our Inside Politics podcast for the best political chat and analysis
