‘I just don’t know, to be honest’ – Ciaran Frawley lost for words after match-winning heroics for Ireland
Ciaran Frawley was Ireland's match-winner against the Springboks in Durban.
Ireland replacement fly-half Ciaran Frawley couldn’t hide his delight after his match-winning heroics for his country against the Springboks at Kings Park in Durban on Saturday.
Frawley kicked a 40-metre drop goal in the dying moments of the mid-year international to hand his team a sensational 25-24 victory which earned the men from the Emerald Isle a deserved draw in the two-Test series.
10 minutes earlier, the 26-year-old slotted another drop goal from 45 metres out, after he had come on to the field to replace Jack Crowley on the hour-mark.
Lost for words
Frawley was interviewed by Sky Sports after the match and when asked what was going through his mind when landed his second snap shot, he said: “I just don’t know, to be honest. It’s mental.
“This place is a fortress and it’s so loud. The game was going back and forth, they got momentum there probably for most of the second half.
“But the boys dug in deep. We were in our own half and managed to get up and get the final points, so we’re delighted.
“I’m just going to have a pint now and enjoy that.”
After suffering a 27-20 loss in the first Test in Pretoria, Ireland made a terrific start in Durban and held a 16-6 lead after Conor Murray had crossed for the game’s only try in the 14th minute.
Ciaran Frawley drop goals stun Springboks as Ireland level series in Durban epic
However, the Boks fought back bravely with veteran fly-half Handre Pollard scoring all their points courtesy of eight penalties but Ireland eventually prevailed thanks to Frawley’s late heroics.
In what was Andy Farrell’s 50th Test as Ireland head coach, the visitors’ discipline let them down in the second half and when it was within goal-kicking range, Pollard punished them.
Captain and number eight Caelan Doris, who was yellow-carded for a croc roll on Malcolm Marx, described the feeling of being part of only Ireland’s second ever victory over the Boks on South African soil when he told Sky Sports: “There was pure elation seeing the ball sail over at the end there.
“It was back and forth, there were two points in it so we believed if we got territory we could score.
‘Unbelievable test’
“We knew what an unbelievable test it was coming over here at the end of the season, playing against the double world champions. We’re definitely happy to finish it on a high.”
Veteran scrum-half Murray, who came into the starting line-up after Munster team-mate Craig Casey was concussed in the first Test, praised the way Ireland fought back after losing their way in the second half.
“South Africa don’t lose easy, they find a way and it’s so frustrating at times to play against,” Murray told Sky Sports. “But we believed in ourselves.
“Coming into South Africa’s backyard is always going to be a big challenge and we can be really proud.”
