2016 Ireland rugby union tour of South Africa

In June 2016, Ireland played a three test series against South Africa as part of the 2016 mid-year rugby union tests.[1] It was the first time that Ireland had played a test series against South Africa in South Africa since 2004. They played the Springboks across the three weeks that the June International window is allocated to; 11 June–25 June. The series was part of the fourth year of the global rugby calendar established by the International Rugby Board, which runs through to 2019.[2]

2016 Ireland rugby union tour of South Africa
Coach(es)	Joe Schmidt
Tour captain(s)	Rory Best
Top test point scorer(s)	Paddy Jackson (40)
Top test try scorer(s)	5 players with 1 try
Summary	P W D L
Total	03 01 00 02
Test match	03 01 00 02
Opponent	P W D L
South Africa	3 1 0 2
Tour chronology
Previous tour	Argentina 2014
Next tour	Japan 2017

Fixtures

Date and time	Venue	Home	Score	Away
11 June 2016, 17:00 SAST (UTC+02)	DHL Newlands, Cape Town	South Africa	20–26	Ireland
18 June 2016, 17:00 SAST (UTC+02)	Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg	South Africa	32–26	Ireland
25 June 2016, 17:00 SAST (UTC+02)	Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth	South Africa	19–13	Ireland

Squads

Note: Ages, caps and clubs are as per 11 June, the first test match of the tour.

Ireland

On 25 May 2016, Joe Schmidt announced his 32-man squad for Ireland's June test series against South Africa.[3]

On 2 June, Luke Fitzgerald, Dave Kearney, Rob Kearney and Jonathan Sexton were all ruled out of the tour after sustaining injuries in and after the Pro12 Grand Final. Craig Gilroy, Matt Healy, Ian Madigan and Tiernan O'Halloran were called up as their replacements.[4]

Coaching team:

• Head coach: Joe Schmidt
• Defence coach: Andy Farrell
• Forwards coach: Simon Easterby

Player	Position	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Club/province
Rory Best (c)	Hooker	15 August 1982 (aged 33)	94	Ulster
Seán Cronin	Hooker	6 May 1986 (aged 30)	50	Leinster
Richardt Strauss	Hooker	29 January 1986 (aged 30)	16	Leinster
Finlay Bealham	Prop	9 October 1991 (aged 24)	1	Connacht
Tadhg Furlong	Prop	14 November 1992 (aged 23)	5	Leinster
Dave Kilcoyne	Prop	14 December 1988 (aged 27)	15	Munster
Jack McGrath	Prop	11 October 1989 (aged 26)	30	Leinster
Mike Ross	Prop	21 December 1979 (aged 36)	59	Leinster
Ultan Dillane	Lock	9 November 1993 (aged 22)	3	Connacht
Iain Henderson	Lock	21 February 1992 (aged 24)	23	Ulster
Quinn Roux	Lock	30 October 1990 (aged 25)	0	Connacht
Donnacha Ryan	Lock	11 December 1983 (aged 32)	39	Munster
Devin Toner	Lock	29 June 1986 (aged 29)	36	Leinster
Jordi Murphy	Flanker	22 April 1991 (aged 25)	14	Leinster
Sean Reidy	Flanker	10 May 1989 (aged 27)	0	Ulster
Rhys Ruddock	Flanker	13 November 1990 (aged 25)	10	Leinster
CJ Stander	Flanker	5 April 1990 (aged 26)	5	Munster
Jamie Heaslip	Number 8	15 December 1983 (aged 32)	85	Leinster
Kieran Marmion	Scrum-half	11 February 1992 (aged 24)	5	Connacht
Conor Murray	Scrum-half	20 April 1989 (aged 27)	47	Munster
Eoin Reddan	Scrum-half	20 November 1980 (aged 35)	70	Leinster
Paddy Jackson	Fly-half	5 January 1992 (aged 24)	13	Ulster
Ian Madigan	Fly-half	21 March 1989 (aged 27)	29	Leinster
Jonathan Sexton	Fly-half	11 July 1985 (aged 30)	61	Leinster
Robbie Henshaw	Centre	12 June 1993 (aged 22)	20	Connacht
Luke Marshall	Centre	3 March 1991 (aged 25)	6	Ulster
Stuart Olding	Centre	11 March 1993 (aged 23)	2	Ulster
Jared Payne	Centre	13 October 1985 (aged 30)	14	Ulster
Keith Earls	Wing	2 October 1987 (aged 28)	50	Munster
Luke Fitzgerald	Wing	13 September 1987 (aged 28)	34	Leinster
Craig Gilroy	Wing	11 March 1991 (aged 25)	6	Ulster
Matt Healy	Wing	14 March 1989 (aged 27)	0	Connacht
Dave Kearney	Wing	19 June 1989 (aged 26)	16	Leinster
Andrew Trimble	Wing	20 October 1984 (aged 31)	63	Ulster
Rob Kearney	Fullback	26 March 1986 (aged 30)	69	Leinster
Tiernan O'Halloran	Fullback	26 February 1991 (aged 25)	0	Connacht

South Africa

On 28 May 2016, Allister Coetzee named his first squad since being appointed head coach. He included the following players in a 31-man squad for a three-test match series against the touring Ireland:[5]

Pieter-Steph du Toit was initially named in the squad, but withdrew through injury and was replaced by Franco Mostert on 31 May 2016.[6] However, on 6 June, Du Toit was given the all-clear by the medical staff and returned to training with the squad. Centre Jan Serfontein was ruled out for the entire series, but no replacement was named.[7]

Pat Lambie was ruled out of the second test match after suffering a concussion in the first test and being given a mandatory rest period in line with World Rugby's Return to Play protocol.[8] On 13 June 2016, Morné Steyn was called up to the squad as injury cover for Lambie.[9]

Coaching team:

• Head coach: Allister Coetzee
• Backs coach: Mzwandile Stick
• Forwards coach: Johann van Graan
• Assistant coach: Matt Proudfoot

Player	Position	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Club/province
Bongi Mbonambi	Hooker	7 January 1991 (aged 25)	0	Stormers
Scarra Ntubeni	Hooker	18 February 1991 (aged 25)	0	Stormers
Adriaan Strauss	Hooker	18 November 1985 (aged 30)	54	Bulls
Steven Kitshoff	Prop	10 February 1992 (aged 24)	0	Bordeaux
Frans Malherbe	Prop	14 March 1991 (aged 25)	12	Stormers
Tendai Mtawarira	Prop	1 August 1985 (aged 30)	75	Sharks
Trevor Nyakane	Prop	4 May 1989 (aged 27)	23	Bulls
Julian Redelinghuys	Prop	11 September 1989 (aged 26)	2	Lions
Lood de Jager	Lock	17 December 1992 (aged 23)	19	Cheetahs
Pieter-Steph du Toit	Lock	20 August 1992 (aged 23)	8	Stormers
Eben Etzebeth	Lock	29 October 1991 (aged 24)	44	Stormers
Franco Mostert	Lock	27 November 1990 (aged 25)	0	Lions
Siya Kolisi	Flanker	16 June 1991 (aged 24)	13	Stormers
Jaco Kriel	Flanker	21 August 1989 (aged 26)	0	Lions
Francois Louw	Flanker	15 June 1985 (aged 30)	43	Bath
Sikhumbuzo Notshe	Flanker	28 May 1993 (aged 23)	0	Stormers
Duane Vermeulen	Number 8	3 July 1986 (aged 29)	35	Toulon
Warren Whiteley	Number 8	18 September 1987 (aged 28)	3	Lions
Faf de Klerk	Scrum-half	19 October 1991 (aged 24)	0	Lions
Nic Groom	Scrum-half	21 February 1990 (aged 26)	0	Stormers
Rudy Paige	Scrum-half	2 August 1989 (aged 26)	2	Bulls
Garth April	Fly-half	16 July 1991 (aged 24)	0	Sharks
Elton Jantjies	Fly-half	1 August 1990 (aged 25)	2	Lions
Pat Lambie	Fly-half	17 October 1990 (aged 25)	50	Sharks
Morné Steyn	Fly-half	11 July 1984 (aged 31)	60	Stade Français
Damian de Allende	Centre	25 November 1991 (aged 24)	13	Stormers
Jesse Kriel	Centre	15 February 1994 (aged 22)	11	Bulls
Lionel Mapoe	Centre	13 July 1988 (aged 27)	1	Lions
Jan Serfontein	Centre	15 April 1993 (aged 23)	26	Bulls
Ruan Combrinck	Wing	10 May 1990 (aged 26)	0	Lions
Lwazi Mvovo	Wing	3 June 1986 (aged 30)	15	Sharks
JP Pietersen	Wing	12 July 1986 (aged 29)	66	Sharks
Willie le Roux	Fullback	18 August 1989 (aged 26)	34	Sharks

Matches

First Test

11 June 2016 17:00 SAST (UTC+02)

South Africa	20–26	Ireland
Try: Mvovo 31' c Du Toit 68' c Con: Jantjies (2/2) 31', 68' Pen: Lambie (1/2) 15' Jantjies (1/1) 25'	Report[10]	Try: Payne 10' c Murray 42' c Con: Jackson (2/2) 11', 42' Pen: Jackson (3/4) 18', 67', 76' Drop: Jackson (1/2) 36'

DHL Newlands, Cape Town [11] Attendance: 42,620 Referee: Mathieu Raynal (France)

FB 15 Willie le Roux RW 14 JP Pietersen OC 13 Lionel Mapoe  68' IC 12 Damian de Allende LW 11 Lwazi Mvovo FH 10 Pat Lambie  22' SH 9 Faf de Klerk  68' N8 8 Duane Vermeulen OF 7 Siya Kolisi BF 6 Francois Louw  55' RL 5 Lood de Jager 10' to 20'  55' LL 4 Eben Etzebeth TP 3 Frans Malherbe  76' HK 2 Adriaan Strauss (c) LP 1 Tendai Mtawarira  58' Replacements: PR 16 Bongi Mbonambi PR 17 Trevor Nyakane  58' HK 18 Julian Redelinghuys  76' LK 19 Pieter-Steph du Toit  55' N8 20 Warren Whiteley  55' SH 21 Rudy Paige  68' FH 22 Elton Jantjies  22' CE 23 Jesse Kriel  68' Coach: Allister Coetzee

FB 15 Jared Payne RW 14 Andrew Trimble OC 13 Robbie Henshaw 31' to 41' IC 12 Luke Marshall LW 11 Keith Earls  76' FH 10 Paddy Jackson SH 9 Conor Murray N8 8 Jamie Heaslip OF 7 Jordi Murphy  73' BF 6 CJ Stander  22' RL 5 Devin Toner LL 4 Iain Henderson  68' TP 3 Mike Ross  58' HK 2 Rory Best (c)  68' LP 1 Jack McGrath Replacements: HK 16 Seán Cronin  68' PR 17 Finlay Bealham PR 18 Tadhg Furlong  58' LK 19 Ultan Dillane  68' FL 20 Rhys Ruddock  73' SH 21 Kieran Marmion FH 22 Ian Madigan WG 23 Craig Gilroy  76' Coach: Joe Schmidt

Man of the Match: Devin Toner (Ireland) Touch judges: Angus Gardner (Australia) Matthew Carley (England) Television match official: Jim Yuille (Scotland)

Notes:

• Faf de Klerk (South Africa) made his international debut.
• This was Ireland's first ever victory over South Africa in South Africa.[12]

Second Test

18 June 2016 17:00 SAST (UTC+02)

South Africa	32–26	Ireland
Try: Combrinck 55' c Whiteley 63' m Du Toit 69' c De Allende 75' c Con: Jantjies (3/4) 57', 70', 76' Pen: Jantjies (2/4) 3', 80'	Report[13]	Try: Toner 33' c Heaslip 59' c Con: Jackson (2/2) 34', 60' Pen: Jackson (4/4) 10', 14', 22', 27'

Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg [11] Attendance: 58,400 Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia)

FB 15 Willie le Roux RW 14 JP Pietersen OC 13 Lionel Mapoe IC 12 Damian de Allende LW 11 Lwazi Mvovo  40' FH 10 Elton Jantjies  59'  62' SH 9 Faf de Klerk N8 8 Duane Vermeulen  40' OF 7 Siya Kolisi  67' BF 6 Francois Louw RL 5 Pieter-Steph du Toit LL 4 Eben Etzebeth TP 3 Frans Malherbe  46' HK 2 Adriaan Strauss (c) LP 1 Tendai Mtawarira  51' Replacements: HK 16 Bongi Mbonambi PR 17 Trevor Nyakane  51' PR 18 Julian Redelinghuys  46' LK 19 Franco Mostert  67' N8 20 Warren Whiteley  40' SH 21 Rudy Paige FH 22 Morné Steyn  59'  62' WG 23 Ruan Combrinck  40' Coach: Allister Coetzee

FB 15 Jared Payne  76' RW 14 Andrew Trimble OC 13 Robbie Henshaw  76' IC 12 Stuart Olding LW 11 Craig Gilroy FH 10 Paddy Jackson SH 9 Conor Murray  77' N8 8 Jamie Heaslip OF 7 Rhys Ruddock 42' to 49' BF 6 Iain Henderson  70' RL 5 Quinn Roux  50' LL 4 Devin Toner TP 3 Tadhg Furlong  59' HK 2 Rory Best (c)  65' LP 1 Jack McGrath  65' Replacements: HK 16 Richardt Strauss  65' PR 17 Dave Kilcoyne  65' PR 18 Finlay Bealham  59' LK 19 Donnacha Ryan  50' FL 20 Sean Reidy  42'  49'  70' SH 21 Kieran Marmion  77' FH 22 Ian Madigan  76' FB 23 Tiernan O'Halloran  76' Coach: Joe Schmidt

Man of the Match: Ruan Combrinck (South Africa) Touch judges: Glen Jackson (New Zealand) Ben Whitehouse (Wales) Television match official: Jim Yuille (Scotland)

Notes:

• Ruan Combrinck and Franco Mostert (both South Africa) and Sean Reidy and Quinn Roux (Ireland) made their international debuts.

Third Test

25 June 2016 17:00 SAST (UTC+02)

South Africa	19–13	Ireland
Try: Pietersen 39' c Con: Jantjies (1/1) 40' Pen: Jantjies (3/4) 5', 31', 68' Combrinck (1/1) 59'	Report[14]	Try: Marshall 15' c Con: Jackson (1/1) 16' Pen: Jackson (2/3) 22', 69'

Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth [11] Attendance: 42,324 Referee: Glen Jackson (New Zealand)

FB 15 Willie le Roux 10' to 20' RW 14 Ruan Combrinck OC 13 Lionel Mapoe IC 12 Damian de Allende LW 11 JP Pietersen FH 10 Elton Jantjies SH 9 Faf de Klerk N8 8 Warren Whiteley OF 7 Siya Kolisi  60' BF 6 Francois Louw RL 5 Pieter-Steph du Toit LL 4 Eben Etzebeth  73' TP 3 Frans Malherbe  56' HK 2 Adriaan Strauss (c)  78' LP 1 Tendai Mtawarira  56' Replacements: HK 16 Bongi Mbonambi  78' PR 17 Steven Kitshoff  56' PR 18 Julian Redelinghuys  56' LK 19 Franco Mostert  73' FL 20 Jaco Kriel  60' SH 21 Rudy Paige FH 22 Morné Steyn WG 23 Lwazi Mvovo Coach: Allister Coetzee

FB 15 Tiernan O'Halloran  10'  18'  40' RW 14 Andrew Trimble OC 13 Luke Marshall IC 12 Stuart Olding LW 11 Keith Earls  72' FH 10 Paddy Jackson SH 9 Conor Murray  68' N8 8 Jamie Heaslip OF 7 Jordi Murphy BF 6 CJ Stander  68' RL 5 Devin Toner LL 4 Iain Henderson  68' TP 3 Mike Ross  50' HK 2 Rory Best (c)  72' LP 1 Jack McGrath Replacements: HK 16 Seán Cronin  72' PR 17 Finlay Bealham PR 18 Tadhg Furlong  50' LK 19 Ultan Dillane  68' FL 20 Rhys Ruddock  68' SH 21 Eoin Reddan  68' FH 22 Ian Madigan  72' WG 23 Matt Healy  10'  18'  40' Coach: Joe Schmidt

Man of the Match: JP Pietersen (South Africa) Touch judges: Angus Gardner (Australia) Ben Whitehouse (Wales) Television match official: Rowan Kitt (England)

Notes:

• Steven Kitshoff, Jaco Kriel and Bongi Mbonambi (all South Africa) and Matt Healy (Ireland) made their international debuts.
• Conor Murray (Ireland) earned his 50th test cap.
• This was Eoin Reddan's last international after announcing his retirement from the professional game.[15]

Statistics

Key

• Con: Conversions
• Pen: Penalties
• DG: Drop goals
• Pts: Points

Ireland Statistics Name Played Tries Con Pen DG Pts Paddy Jackson 3 0 5 9 1 40 – – Jamie Heaslip 3 1 0 0 0 5 – – Conor Murray 3 1 0 0 0 5 – – Devin Toner 3 1 0 0 0 5 – – Luke Marshall 2 1 0 0 0 5 – – Jared Payne 2 1 0 0 0 5 – – Rory Best 3 0 0 0 0 0 – – Tadhg Furlong 3 0 0 0 0 0 – – Iain Henderson 3 0 0 0 0 0 – – Jack McGrath 3 0 0 0 0 0 – – Rhys Ruddock 3 0 0 0 0 0 – – Andrew Trimble 3 0 0 0 0 0 – – Seán Cronin 2 0 0 0 0 0 – – Ultan Dillane 2 0 0 0 0 0 – – Keith Earls 2 0 0 0 0 0 – – Craig Gilroy 2 0 0 0 0 0 – – Robbie Henshaw 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 – Ian Madigan 2 0 0 0 0 0 – – Jordi Murphy 2 0 0 0 0 0 – – Tiernan O'Halloran 2 0 0 0 0 0 – – Stuart Olding 2 0 0 0 0 0 – – Mike Ross 2 0 0 0 0 0 – – CJ Stander 2 0 0 0 0 0 – 1 Finlay Bealham 1 0 0 0 0 0 – – Matt Healy 1 0 0 0 0 0 – – Dave Kilcoyne 1 0 0 0 0 0 – – Kieran Marmion 1 0 0 0 0 0 – – Eoin Reddan 1 0 0 0 0 0 – – Sean Reidy 1 0 0 0 0 0 – – Quinn Roux 1 0 0 0 0 0 – – Donnacha Ryan 1 0 0 0 0 0 – – Richardt Strauss 1 0 0 0 0 0 – – Luke Fitzgerald – – – – – 0 – – Dave Kearney – – – – – 0 – – Rob Kearney – – – – – 0 – – Jonathan Sexton – – – – – 0 – –

Test series statistics Name Team Tries Con Pen DG Pts Paddy Jackson  Ireland 0 5 9 1 40 Elton Jantjies  South Africa 0 6 6 0 30 Pieter-Steph du Toit  South Africa 2 0 0 0 10 Ruan Combrinck  South Africa 1 0 1 0 8 Damian de Allende  South Africa 1 0 0 0 5 Jamie Heaslip  Ireland 1 0 0 0 5 Luke Marshall  Ireland 1 0 0 0 5 Conor Murray  Ireland 1 0 0 0 5 Lwazi Mvovo  South Africa 1 0 0 0 5 Jared Payne  Ireland 1 0 0 0 5 JP Pietersen  South Africa 1 0 0 0 5 Devin Toner  Ireland 1 0 0 0 5 Warren Whiteley  South Africa 1 0 0 0 5 Pat Lambie  South Africa 0 0 1 0 3

See also

• 2016 mid-year rugby union internationals
• History of rugby union matches between Ireland and South Africa

References

1. "Irish Rugby". irishrugby.ie.
2. "Rugby Week". rugbyweek.net. Archived from the original on 2014-02-23.
3. "Irish Rugby". irishrugby.ie.
4. "Irish Rugby". irishrugby.ie.
5. "Squad of 31 ushers in new era of Springbok rugby". South African Rugby Union. 28 May 2016. Archived from the original on 31 May 2016. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
6. "Mostert replaces Du Toit in Springbok squad". South African Rugby Union. 31 May 2016. Archived from the original on 31 May 2016. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
7. "Du Toit cleared for Springbok action". South African Rugby Union. 6 June 2016. Archived from the original on 6 June 2016. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
8. "Springbok medical update – one week mandatory rest for Lambie". South African Rugby Union. 12 June 2016. Archived from the original on 13 June 2016. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
9. "Steyn called up as replacement for injured Lambie". South African Rugby Union. 13 June 2016. Archived from the original on 13 June 2016. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
10. "South Africa vs Ireland - Report - Ireland tour 2016 2016 - 11 Jun, 2016 - ESPN". ESPN.com.
11. "Springbok home fixtures for 2016 confirmed". SARU. 6 November 2015. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
12. "South Africa 20 Ireland 26: Fourteen-man Ireland shock Springboks to claim historic win". Daily Telegraph. 11 June 2016. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
13. "South Africa vs Ireland - Report - Ireland tour 2016 2016 - 18 Jun, 2016 - ESPN". ESPN.com.
14. "South Africa vs Ireland - Report - Ireland tour 2016 2016 - 25 Jun, 2016 - ESPN". ESPN.com.
15. "Eoin Reddan: Ireland and Leinster scrum-half to retire". 23 June 2016 – via www.bbc.co.uk.