Guinness World Record? Ireland shown FIVE cards against Springboks
Despite five cards of various colours, Ireland were denied a Guinness World Record. Well, probably …
The 24-13 scoreline doesn’t tell the full story of Saturday night’s chaos at the Aviva Stadium.
The Springboks didn’t just beat Ireland, they absolutely humiliated them.
Five Irish players saw cards.
Lock James Ryan collected a 20-minute red for a dangerous cleanout on Malcolm Marx, while Sam Prendergast, Jack Crowley, Andrew Porter and Paddy McCarthy all took turns in the sin bin.
At one stage, Ireland were reduced to just 12 men on the pitch.
It was carnage.
The scrum massacre
But the cards only tell half the story. The real humiliation came at scrum time.
The Springbok pack repeatedly destroyed the Irish scrum in front of their own try line. It was so one-sided it bordered on comedy. Six scrum penalties. A penalty try awarded when the Irish scrum simply disintegrated under pressure.
The Springboks could have scored more. Instead, they opted for scrum after scrum after scrum, grinding Ireland into the Dublin turf. It was psychological warfare disguised as rugby.
World record territory?
So here’s the question: Did Ireland actually set a Guinness World Record on Saturday night?
Most cards shown to one team in an international? Most scrum penalties conceded? Most players simultaneously in the sin bin?
Someone will need to check the record books.
But given it’s Ireland and Guinness is involved, there’s a certain poetic justice to the whole shambles.
The Irish fought valiantly in the circumstances. Dan Sheehan scored their only try while they were down to 13 men. The defence in the final stages, camped on their own try line with 14 players, showed real grit.
But this was the Springboks sending a message.
They’re number one in the world for a reason. And they’ve now ended their 13-year winless streak in Dublin in the most emphatic way possible.
Ireland conceded 18 penalties overall. Their lineout operated at just 73% success rate. Their scrum was obliterated.
The scoreboard said 24-13. The performance said something far more brutal.
Were you there?
Did you watch the game live in Dublin? Did you enjoy a Guinness – or three?
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