Andy Farrell, Paul O'Connell, and the Ireland coaching team will likely look back on the 2023-24 season as somewhat bittersweet.
Yes, there was a Six Nations title in there - something Irish fans would have killed for only 20 years ago - but there was also the crushing disappointment of yet another dreaded World Cup quarter-final exit to contend with. Group all that with the fact that defeat in Twickenham meant no back-to-back Grand Slams, and the coaching team could reasonably look back with regret on the campaign, as successful as it was.
However, you could scarcely have thought of a better way to end the season than Ciarán Frawley's dramatic late drop-goal to secure a famous win for Ireland against the world champions in Durban.
79.59 on the clock. Ciaran Frawley winds up for his second drop goal of the game.
WHAT
A
KICK!!! pic.twitter.com/hFFDOwaMkJ— Balls.ie (@ballsdotie) July 13, 2024
Ireland had lost the previous week's opening test in Pretoria but Frawley's dramatic last-gasp drop (his second of the night) secured a winning end to the season for Andy Farrell's side.
With the rivalry between the two sides having been ramped up in recent years, there was an added bite to the tour of South Africa. Paul O'Connell revealed this week that the drama and weight of the achievement made the celebrations uncharacteristically energetic in the coaches' box, with the Munster and Ireland legend almost fainting as a result.
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Paul O'Connell says celebration of South Africa win was unlike any other
O'Connell was a special guest on the Independent Sports podcast this week, sitting down for a fascinating hour-long chat with Joe Molloy.
The Ireland lineout coach spoke about the team's enthralling victory in Durban in July and revealed that the celebrations almost got the best of him.
We were bonkers. It's never happened me, I've always seen coaches in the box that go mad, it's never happened us. Whatever way it's happened, we've all been delighted but pretty calm at the end of games.
I've never had that as a coach, I nearly fainted. I nearly fainted, we were celebrating so much! I had to sit down.
It was a brilliant experience.
Ireland beat the same opposition in an all-time classic at last year's World Cup, and have won two Six Nations titles (one a Grand Slam) since O'Connell joined the coaching team in 2021.
Therefore, the follow up question was reasonable - what made this win in particular so special to warrant such wild celebrations?
South Africa are double World Cup winners, we obviously have a healthy enough rivalry with them. Rassie is an interesting character, he obviously coached Munster...there was plenty said in the build-up to the game.
They're hard to beat down there! They're an excellent side, they're very physical, they're smart as well, South Africa in how they go about playing the game. For our lads to almost win the game, have the game pretty close to being in the bag and to have lost it then in the second half, and then to come back and have won it in the last five or ten minutes...it was a brilliant experience.
It was indeed a bittersweet season for Ireland but it could scarcely have had a more cathartic end in South Africa.
