'We have to win trophies' - Ireland captain Sexton wants even more after Springbok win

Johnny Sexton says Ireland's win against South Africa will count for very little unless they can back it up with silverware.

Andy Farrell's side prevailed 19-16 against the world champions in a gripping encounter at the Aviva Stadium, with the out-half kicking nine points from the tee.

It's a significant victory for the world's number one side, who answered several questions around their ability to deal with the physicality of the Springboks, who they will also have to face at the World Cup next year.

But Sexton says they need to kick on further, and use the game as a springboard to silverware.

"We're building well but we have to win. We have to win trophies," he said.

"We had a Triple Crown, very pleasing last year, but if you're talking about championships, Six Nations, Grand Slams, World Cups, we've done nothing really.

"You can't compare it to teams that have won before. That's the key to being a good team, winning trophies, and we haven't done it yet. We're building hopefully towards that."

And while he was keen to stress the importance of the future, the Ireland captain said it was a vital win in their progression.

Having been level at 6-6 at half time, tries for Josh van der Flier and Mack Hansen saw Ireland build a lead which they maintained for the rest of the game.

And Sexton says the most pleasing element of the victory was how they ground the result out, despite creating very few chances.

"We spoke about it being a massive test for us before the game and you can't say different after it. We didn’t play our best rugby but that’s also a very pleasing thing.

"Maybe a few years ago we would have crumbled or not shown the guts we did there. It was very pleasing for lots of reasons.

"They test you in ways not many teams do.