Farrell: Ireland paid price for poor first half

Andy Farrell says Ireland paid the price for a poor first half, as they began their summer Test series with a 27-20 defeat to South Africa.

The world champions led from start to finish in a full-blooded Test at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria, in large part thanks to Kurt-Lee Arendse's try inside three minutes, when South Africa caught the Irish defence flat-footed and narrow.

"In the cold light of day, I thought South Africa deserved to win the game so congratulations to them," the Ireland head coach said.

"First half, I thought we was off. I thought we gave away access for them to be able to play their game. Defensively, we was a bit passive, certainly for the first try but then the story of the game for me.

"After some words at half-time, I thought it was courageous the way we defended and got ourselves back into the game. In fact, it’s the make-up of this team and history would say it, that even with the type of performance in the first half, we hung in there, we don’t go away.

"There are plenty of teams that would have been under the pump in the first half like that and then seen the game run away from them in the second half. We didn’t. We stayed in the fight and could’ve, would’ve, should’ve with some decisions that rightly or wrongly, didn’t go our way."

The game turned on a TMO decision in the second half when a James Lowe's try (above) was ruled out due to an offence at the previous ruck.

The score would have seen Ireland draw level at 13-13, with a conversion to take the lead with more than 20 minutes to play.

Farrell wouldn't publicly go into detail on his thoughts of that decision, although he left the room in no doubt about he felt.

"Well, it's not for me to say, is it? I saw quite a few of them live and I had a dubious