On a disappointing weekend of Test rugby for South African fans, a brave Ireland lineup beat the Boks at Hollywoodbets Kings Park, while there were also wins for the All Blacks, Wallabies, Argentina and Georgia.
Boks v Ireland: Frawley drop goals sink double world champs
The Springboks were undone by a Ciarán Frawley drop goal on the 80-minute mark as Ireland drew the Test series with a 25-24 win at Hollywoodbets Kings Park on Saturday. The drop, Frawley’s second of the contest, means Andy Farrell’s men come away from the Republic with a thoroughly deserved 1-1 series draw after producing a great performance in Durban, particularly in the first half.
For the Boks, eight penalties from Handre Pollard weren’t enough as the double world champions were left to rue a below-par first forty after which they were fortunate to trail by just 10 points at the break. They hit back hard in the second, with a series of Pollard penalties pushing them out to a 24-19 lead at a stage, but Frawley’s two drop goals late on ultimately won the game for the Irish.
A DROP KICK AT THE DEATH WINS IT FOR IRELAND! 🤯
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) July 13, 2024
Final score: 24-25 for the visitors 🇮🇪#RSAvIRE pic.twitter.com/Nyb6rCRjKM
NZ v England: Brilliant Barrett boosts ABs to victory
Beauden Barrett came off the bench to inspire the All Blacks to a memorable 24-17 win at Eden Park. The victory in Auckland followed up last week’s one-pointer in Dunedin as Scott Robertson begins his tenure in charge on a 100% winning note, while Steve Borthwick and his England side will take great heart out of their showings as they come to the end of their season.
It was the English that took a 14-13 lead into the break thanks to a Tommy Freeman score right on the halftime hooter, but when Barrett was introduced on the 49-minute mark things began to turn in the hosts’ favour. His playmaking partnership with Damian McKenzie was instrumental in the victory and will be vital to the Kiwi cause heading into the Rugby Championship.
Best seat in the house for this one 😍#SAPBestRun #AllBlacks pic.twitter.com/Fm7NF6Peby
— All Blacks (@AllBlacks) July 14, 2024
Australia v Wales: Wallabies extend tourists’ pain
Australia claimed a 36-28 win over Wales in Melbourne to secure their Test series 2-0 and condemn Warren Gatland’s men to a ninth straight loss. The home side took a 23-14 lead into halftime thanks to first-half tries through Filipo Daugunu and Jake Gordon, and they managed to hang on for the victory despite the Welsh coming within two points at a stage in the third quarter.
In other notable results from the weekend, Argentina bounced back 33-25 against France in Buenos Aires; Italy beat Tonga 36-14 in Nuku’alofa; Scotland eased past USA 42-7 in Washington; Samoa edged Spain 34-30 in Apia; Portugal claimed a 37-22 win over Namibia in Windhoek; Canada downed Romania 35-22 Ottawa and Georgia ambushed Japan 25-23 in Sendai.
How about that! 💥#Wallabies #AUSvWAL pic.twitter.com/DKnKItsr3z
— Wallabies (@wallabies) July 13, 2024
