The Springboks claimed victory against Ireland in a thrilling test match on Saturday. The Boks beat Ireland 27-20 at a packed Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria in the Castle Lager Incoming Series. The 2023 Rugby World Cup (RWC) winning team scored in the first three minutes of the evening game with a try by Kurt-Lee Arendse. 'The Boks held a 13-8 lead at the break and apart from a dominating opening 30 minutes, it was not the smoothest win ever, but a seven-point margin over the second ranked team in the world is not something to sniff at,' said SA Rugby. The second half of the match that saw South Africa beat Ireland for the first time since 2016 was a tense affair. 'Overall, the goal was achieved but it was far from a perfect performance,' said Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus. Bok captain Siya Kolisi said he was pleased with the result but cautioned that the series remained very much alive. 'Of course, this game was very important for us. We haven't beaten them since 2016, so it was special for our confide nce. But the job is not done yet. We want to win the series and we know they are going to come back harder,' said Kolisi. 'After that stellar opening performance by KB Motsilanyane, I knew we had this one in the bag #GoBokke #StongerTogether,' said new Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie in a social media post on X, previously known as Twitter. This as the singer led the singing of the national anthem backed by the crowd gathered at the stadium. 'We are a winning nation,' the Minister said in a follow-up post. The second test between the Springboks and Ireland is set to take place at Hollywoodbets Kings Park stadium in KwaZulu-Natal on Saturday. Source: South African Government News Agency