South Afrca beat Ireland 19-13 to clinch the series
Last Updated: 26/06/16 1:03am
The Springboks, who led 13-10 at half-time, had to withstand several late Irish surges to win and clinch a series in which only six points separated the sides in each international.
Ireland had a 21-phase attack repulsed with four minutes left and another attack featuring equally good ball retention ended with the visitors being penalised and the final whistle blowing.
South Africa fly-half Elton Jantjies, given two penalty opportunities inside the opening 10 minutes, succeeded with the first but fluffed the second.
The home team were reduced to 14 men on 11 minutes when full-backs Willie le Roux and Tiernan O'Halloran collided jumping for the ball and the Springbok was yellow-carded.
Ireland used the numerical advantage to score the first try of the game on 16 minutes as patient, multi-phase pressure ended with centre Luke Marshall scoring his first Test try.
Fly-half Paddy Jackson converted, but missed a close-range penalty soon after to the relief of the under-pressure South Africans.
Given another penalty chance after Le Roux returned from the sin-bin, Jackson made no mistake and Ireland were 10-3 ahead.
A Jantjies penalty trimmed the deficit to four points eight minutes from half-time and a moment of magic from the fly-half nudged his side ahead on the stroke of half-time.
The playmaker lofted a perfectly weighted kick from the centre of the pitch into the corner and left winger JP Pietersen caught the ball and raced over.
Jantjies converted and South Africa were 13-10 up as the teams ran off the field at half-time after an even opening 40 minutes apart from the scrums, where the Irish struggled.
A leap by scrum-half Faf de Klerk, one of the shortest players on the pitch, to make a one-hand intercept prevented a near-certain try as Ireland applied early second-half pressure.
Right winger Ruan Combrinck, making his first start for the Springboks, succeeded with a penalty kick from a few metres inside his half to stretch the lead to 16-10 on the hour mark.
Another successful penalty, this time from much closer to the posts by Jantjies, put nine points between the teams, but Ireland - strengthened by their bench - hit back immediately through Jackson's penalty and they began to believe they could make history.
Sean Cronin's fresh legs took him deep into South African territory, but a seemingly endless series of phases came to nothing when Rhys Ruddock went off his feet.
Still, Ireland came and brilliant foot-work from Olding took them close and they battered at the line repeatedly in a dramatic final phase. Finally, the ball reached Earls who had Healy outside him, but De Klerk rushed up and hit him
hard. In piled the Springboks and the winger held on.
That proved the last action the match as the stadium erupted and Ireland sunk to their knees.
