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The Boks rode their luck to beat England 16-15 thanks to a late Handre Pollard penalty from just inside his own half
Irish rugby fans are still struggling to swallow the bitter pill of our quarter-final defeat after seeing South Africa reach the World Cup final.It was a kick that broke English hearts and also left Ireland fans thinking what could have been.
Ireland beat South Africa in the pool stages on their way to finishing top of their pool. But the reward for Andy Farrell's side was a quarter-final with New Zealand and a 28-24 agonising defeat. With the All Blacks and South Africa now in the final, many Irish rugby fans are still reflecting on what might have been. "If that sloppy start by Ireland and that save on the line by Barrett had not happened, we would be world champions. No doubt.If,if,if...," said one fan. Another was happy England lost: "Thank Christ for that. I would’ve broken my TV if England had got through and we would’ve played them, instead of SA or France, had we got through." Other Ireland fans were not impressed by the quality of a match that saw a lot of kicking out of hand. "I thought it was a shocking game. It was like a tennis match. The South Africans ran the ball once and scored a try. Fair play to them," said another. One supporter said: "England played as well as they could but we're beaten by a poor-performing South Africa." While another Irish fan predicted a heavy loss for South Africa if they do not bring their A-game against New Zealand. "If South Africa play like that on Saturday. They will be hammered out the gate by half time . The better team lost tonight, without a doubt in terrible conditions." South Africa captain Siya Kolisi admitted that his side were far from their best but was proud of his team to find a way to get the job done. "It was ugly today, really ugly, but all the hard work we have put in paid off and that is what champions are made of," said Kolisi amid the celebrations at the end. "All credit to England, they were written off but they came together to show who they are. But we found a way, so well done to the boys, and we are really proud of the fight that we showed, especially the boys who came off the bench."
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