Ireland vs South Africa LIVE rugby: Result and final score in thrilling autumn international
Andy Farrell’s side put a marker down against the Springboks ahead of a World Cup rematch next year
Ireland did enough to beat world champion South Africa 19-16 in an arm wrestle at Lansdowne Road on Saturday to justify its ascent to No. 1 in the rankings.
Ireland broke a 6-6 halftime deadlock with two tries in four minutes early in the second half, the first from a lineout maul by flanker Josh van der Flier and then a more expansive counterattack score from left wing Mack Hansen.
Ireland led 16-6 at that point and appeared set to see the game home, but South Africa bit back through replacement forward Franco Mostert and wing Kurt-Lee Arendse, whose try in the left corner with three minutes to go threatened an upset in Dublin.
Ireland didn’t let it happen and continued its impressive recent record at Lansdowne Road, where it has won three straight against the Springboks.
The result gave Ireland more confidence after it won an historic test series in New Zealand in July. It also struck a psychological blow for the Irish with the teams set to meet in the pool stage at next year’s Rugby World Cup in France.
A new face at number ten...
Plenty of reason to be excited about the Vilimoni Botitu fly-half experiment. He is an incredibly gifted player, like many in this Fijian side, but what has stood out in his career to date has been his ability to marry those gifts with real accuracy and dependability. It is a gamble installing the 24-year-old at a position at which he has little top-level experience, but he has a balanced skillset and should present intriguing options in attack to go with superb defensive acumen.
I fancy Frank Lomani may take duties from the tee - but Fiji occasionally have something different up their sleeve, so we’ll see.
Team News - Fiji
The eye-catching news in the Fiji selection comes at fly-half, where Vilimoni Botitu is surprisingly stationed. The former sevens star usually calls inside centre home and has been an uber-consistent performer for Castres over the last couple of seasons, but has limited experience at ten – how he performs will be fascinating.
Up front, there’s a debut for Ratu Leone Rotuisolia in the second row, one of a number of younger figures in the squad who impressed for the Fijian Drua in Super Rugby last year, while the back row looks mighty punchy indeed, with Viliame Mata fit to stomp around familiar Edinburgh turf.
Two more potential first-cappers are on the bench – prop Livai Natave and utility back Sireli Maqala, silkily skilled and unsurprisingly rather liked by Vern Cotter.
Fiji XV: E Mawi, S Matavesi, M Saulo; T Mayanavanua, RTL Rotuisolia; A Tuisue, L Botia, V Mata; F Lomani, V Botitu; V Habosi, K Ravouvou, W Nayacalevu (capt.), S Tuicuvu; K Murimurivalu.
Replacements: T Ikanivere, LNatave, L Tagi, A Ratuniyarawa, K Kamikamica; P Matawalu, T Tela, S Maqala.
Team News - Scotland
Having made do with a slightly slimmer squad last week for the out-of-window curtain-raiser against Australia, Gregor Townsend can select from a full complement this week. Stuart Hogg is back at full-back, Cam Redpath and Chris Harris form a new midfield and Adam Hastings takes the place of Blair Kinghorn at fly-half, hoping to press for a longer-term starting berth with Finn Russell absent.
Dave Cherry has suffered a hamstring injury and has been forced to withdraw from the squad, so George Turner is in at hooker, while Richie Gray makes his first Scotland start since 2017 in the second row. Murphy Walker awaits a debut as the replacement tighthead.
Scotland XV: P Schoeman, G Turner, Z Fagerson; R Gray, G Gilchrist; J Ritchie (capt.), H Watson, M Fagerson; A Price, A Hastings; D van der Merwe, C Redpath, C Harris, D Graham; S Hogg.
Replacements: E Ashman, R Sutherland, M Walker, J Gray, J Dempsey; B White, B Kinghorn, S Tuipulotu.
Scotland looking to ‘impose our game’ on Fiji
One wonders quite how Scotland’s performance last weekend might have been received had Blair Kinghorn filed a better flight plan for his potential match-winner, but such is life in professional sport that a narrow defeat only served to deepen the sighs of the more pessimitic Scottish fans fearing a fruitless autumn.
Jamie Ritchie, a new skipper navigating his first campaign in the top leadership role, has challenged his side to put their “best foot forward”.
Scotland vs Fiji
To Murrayfield, and a mighty intriguing little encounter. Scotland rather stuttered out against Australia, with neither result nor crowd quite what the Scottish union would have hoped for.
This should be a chance for Gregor Townsend’s side to right their campaign and take more strides forward, but they will be wary of a funky Fijian side, guided by a familiar face, that are more than capable of spoiling the Scottish afternoon.
Scotland vs Fiji
We’ve already had a pulsating day of drama in Auckland, where New Zealand and England have scraped into the World Cup final, and now it is over to the men to take up the charge.
It really is a hectic autumn ahead, five weeks chock full of international rugby with the action kicking off in earnest today after that Edinburgh hors d’oeuvre seven days ago. Let’s get to it...
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Scotland vs Fiji
Scotland will hope to bounce back from their painful defeat to Australia as they take on Fiji in their second autumn international this afternoon.
Blair Kinghorn had the chance to score the match-winning penalty against Australia at Murrayfield last weekend but pulled his kick wide as the hosts were beaten. Kinghorn has been backed to bounce back following his miss, which came after the fly-half scored a sensational try in his outing as starting No 10 in the absence of Finn Russell - although Kinghorn has been replaced in the starting line-up by Adam Hastings for today’s clash with the Pacific island nation.
“It’s important that we get behind him because he did a lot of stuff really well. I back Blair,” said Jamie Ritchie following his first match as captain. “I’ve seen what he can do week in and week out. I’m confident he will bounce back and be great next week.”
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