Boks by 11 is the universal number it was meant to be in Dublin

The Boks won by 11 points in Dublin, and the No 11 is often called a “master number” in numerology, and is thought to represent intuition, insight, and enlightenment. Add power and brutality and you have a summary of what happened at the Aviva Stadium against Ireland on Saturday night, writes Mark Keohane.

This was an assault.

If it was a boxing match, Ireland would have been counted out by the referee at halftime.

In rugby terms, this was not going to happen as the Irish spirits refused to yield to a knock out and the referee, deducting points throughout, refused to send Ireland to the corner on a TKO.

There can be no complaints in Dublin or anywhere in Ireland. The hosts were beaten up physically, lost by four tries to one, and should have finished the game in single player figures.

Ireland’s James Ryan should have had a straight red card and not the kindness of bunker review on his awfully malicious and cheap off the ball clenaout on the head of Boks hooker – and World Rugby Player of the Year – Malcolm Marx.

The record books will show the Irish got one bunker red and four yellow cards and the Boks got one. The Boks’ yellow card, in the 78th minute, was for celebrating a turnover. WTF!

It was an interesting call, to say the least, but the Boks refused to yield and kept Ireland scoreless in the last two minutes, when every call went Ireland’s way.

So much in Dublin has been made of Rassie Erasmus’s Golden Generation of Springboks never having won in Dublin between their RWC title wins in 2019 and 2023, which included a 2-1 home series win against the British & Irish Lions in 2021, with all three Tests played in Cape Town behind closed doors.

The Boks, back to back World Cup winners in 2019 and 2023, back to back Castle Rugby Championship winners in 2024 and 2025, Lions series winners in 2021, have also won in Italy, in Argentina, in Scotland, in Australia, in New Zealand, in Wales, in England at the Allianz in Twickenham, in Japan in the 2019 WRC and in France in the 2023 RWC.

The only country Erasmus’s boys had not won was in Dublin, courtesy of a three point defeat (19-16) in 2022.

Ireland, who have never advanced beyond a RWC quarter-final in 10 tournaments, held onto the Dublin win as justification as to why they should be considered the best team in the world.

That all ended on Saturday night and now Ireland’s claim to being the world’s best is to win the RWC, which would mean making history in going beyond the last eight in Australia in 2027.

Ireland has nothing left in bragging rights when it comes to the Boks, and they have a long wait until they meet the Boks in Dublin in November in 2026 in the inaugural Nations Championship.

For those South Africans working and living in Dublin, enjoy the next 12 months.

HOW KEO CALLED THE BOKS WIN ON AFRICA PICKS

The scoreline of 24-13 was kind to Ireland and the rugby gods were generous in allowing Ireland to leave the Aviva with scoreline respectability, even if the state of play should have read 30-plus points, and not the 11 differential.

The Irish were brave and they ripped up the law book to defend their try line. Their scrum was humiliated and on another night they may have ended up with no forwards on the field.

They will cry foul for the cards, but every single one was justified and there were more that should have gone against them.

They played for damage control and the Boks played to bury the hyped talked about ghosts of the Aviva.

The Boks won at the Aviva for the first time in 13 years, but it may be 13 years before Ireland ever threatens the Boks at the Aviva, such was the one-sided nature of the contest.

Ireland, when they review the match tape, will wonder how they did not concede 40-plus points, and the Boks, once the beers and brandy have settled, will wonder how they did not score 40-plus points.

For South Africa, the score will not matter, just the fact that Dublin was downed, not as smoothly as a Guinness, but with the brutality these boys put away a double brandy.

Boks by 10- plus 1.

KEO & ZELS INSISTED BOKS WOULD WIN IN SAYING RASSIE’S COWBOYS WOULD GUN DOWN IRELAND 

READ SA RUGBY MAG DIGITAL FOR ALL REACTION TO THE BOKS 24-13 WIN v IRELAND IN DUBLIN