At the Athlone Stadium in Cape Town, a jubilant crowd watched an 11-try feast as Ireland defeated South Africa 40-27 in the WXV Global Series.
Both teams entered today on a two game winning streak with South Africa winning Italy 29-41 i Spain 20-0 in their previous two outings as Ireland kicked out Japan twice 31-24 and 43-19.
A win was needed and crucial for South Africa and Ireland as both sides suffered shock defeats in their openers WXV Global Series 2026 fixtures; South Africa falls into Wales 50-19 in Cardiff and Ireland lost to USA 40-36 in Dublin.
It was a testing first half for both sides with a lack of continuity for each team, but Jane Clohessy powered over in stoppage time to give Ireland a 17-21 half-time lead.
But winger Béibhinn Parsons’ blindside kick right at the start of the second half gave Ireland some breathing room and from there the ‘Green Wave’ started to flow, scoring three more second-half tries, including front row reserve Linda Djougang.
Captain Erin King reflected on the result: “We’re delighted with the win, it was a really tough battle. South Africa definitely brought it to us, we know it won’t be an easy challenge.”
“It was a great atmosphere, we have to give it to the crowd. They were outstanding. We’re really looking forward to coming back next week and another big challenge.”
Here are some of our key talking points from the match…
Patience or panic
There’s a fine line between fast and frantic. South Africa have a lethal collection of extremely quick and talented backs who are sensational when they run into space. But too many passes either weren’t available, were forced, or receivers reached, or were checking their passes and that closed off space and opportunity.
It was a similar story for Ireland. In the first half, panicked passing and lineout problems hampered progress and allowed South Africa to dictate the tempo of the game. Two yellow cards brought South Africa back into the game – both caused by frantic decision-making.
Erin King’s 23rd-minute sin-bin for a header on the ground, a frustrated reaction to Ireland’s mistakes in handling a complex game, cost Ireland the lead for the remainder of the first half. Eve Higgins’ second-half yellow had South Africa’s tally a minute later. More clinical teams would expose it even more.
But Ireland looked at their best when they relaxed into their game, rather than forcing offloads or trying to play at South Africa’s pace. They built stages, moved to the field and converted into 22 wells. Crucially, they kept possession and by the second half Ireland looked comfortable in the wider channels and ball movement.
Route one is always best
These are two teams, both in development. There is clearly a wider ambition to cement both the style and flair of rugby within each team. But in close international competitions, these were the basics, ie. being physical and going through them.
Ireland’s first tries in the first half were agonizing in short bursts, Aoife Dalton first to win two, then Linda Djougang who won three and Jane Clohessy slotted over at the end of the half. Everyone stays in the fight and takes advantage of South Africa’s laxity in finishing the tackle. Great performances from Djougang and Dalton today.
It was the identification of South Africa’s misalignment in trouble that brought Béibhinn Parsons to the right wing, while Erin King and Brittany Hogan scampered to the edges of the ruck for tries (although Hogan and Reilly’s efforts were disallowed).
Likewise, Aseza Hele breaking down the left wing for South Africa’s first try was classic Hele, pure running power. Tries from Vainah Ubisi and Mario Tshiremba were similarly inspired through South Africa’s defining efficiency, creating line breaks for brilliant ball-carrying.
Tshiremba now gets his sixth try in just four games. South Africa need to do what they do best and use their physicality and set pieces to put teams on the back foot.
If you can’t go around them, go through them!
Dolph vs. O’Brien
We’re introduced to Dana O’Brien as a left-footed puppet master, a pitch-kicking engineer, and a classic car dealer dealing with the Irish offense.
In contrast, Byrhandré Dolf was all on the attack today at ten, looking to exploit his bag of tricks, either inside the lines or offloading. Although with a few wayward tackles in the first half, and an ambition to play maka on a line that was admirable but lacking in execution, this was exposed against a tactical and territorial half like O’Brien.
This was epitomized in the 50th minute by Dolph’s decision to skip over the top as South Africa looked set to break out of their own 22. This gave away possession and eventually led to an Erin King breakaway try to put South Africa 16 points behind.
As Ireland came into the game, O’Brien’s shots eased the pressure while Dolph increased it, and suddenly O’Brien has the space and time to pick his passes, while Dolph always seemed under pressure to make a decision, let the best one go.
Maybe a difference in style, maybe a difference in experience. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a great match to watch unfold and it will be interesting to see how each adjusts next week.
what’s next
But it’s not over yet. The two teams will meet in a week’s time in the final game of the WXV Global Series, on Saturday 31 October, back at the Athlone Stadium in the second test of the two-match series.