Ireland captain Peter O’Mahony rued costly errors but remained upbeat following a 27-20 defeat to world champions South Africa in a gripping series opener in Pretoria.
The Springboks underlined their status as Test rugby’s top-ranked nation thanks to scores from Kurt-Lee Arendse and Cheslin Kolbe, plus a late penalty try and 10 points from fly-half Handre Pollard.
Ireland replacements Conor Murray and Ryan Baird crossed in a breathless finale to add to Jamie Osborne’s debut try.
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