South Africa hold off Ireland to edge first test

PRETORIA : South Africa battled to a fortunate 27-20 victory over Ireland in the first test on Saturday, playing for only the second time since October’s World Cup triumph and struggling to shrug off the rust.

There were three tries apiece in a tight match at Loftus Versfeld with home wingers Kurt-Lee Arendse and Cheslin Kolbe scoring for the home side, plus a penalty try awarded by English referee Luke Pearce.

Ireland fullback Jamie Osborne scored on debut with Conor Murray and Ryan Baird adding tries in a dramatic final five minutes.

The Springboks made many mistakes in a scrappy performance and benefited from marginal refereeing calls as Six Nations champions Ireland stayed in the contest right to the end, despite conceding after three minutes.