Inside Ireland celebrations as players celebrate with WAGs after South Africa win

Ireland overcame a number of injury setbacks to cement their status as rugby’s top-ranked nation by holding on for a tense 19-16 win over world champions South Africa on Saturday.

Mack Hansen dived over early in the second half to cap a spellbinding Irish move from right to left as Andy Farrell’s in-form hosts laid down a marker ahead of next year’s World Cup pool-stage meeting with the Springboks.

Victory, however, came at a cost as centre Stuart McCloskey, centurion Conor Murray and prop Tadhg Furlong were each forced off due to first-half injuries.

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But the celebrations continued for hours after the match as Ireland's stars enjoyed a few well-deserved drinks with their other halves.

One photo showed Peter O'Mahony and Keith Earls smiling with their wives, while Conor Murray, who won his 100th cap on Saturday, was also all smiles as he posed for a snap with O'Mahony and captain Johnny Sexton.

Before hitting the town, a number of players took to the pitch with their families after the victory.

Johnny Sexton was joined by his daughter Amy and son Luca, while Jamison Gibson-Park's daughters Patti and Isabella also came on to the pitch.

Johnny Sexton with his daughter Amy and son Luca and Jamison Gibson-Park with his daughters Patti and Isabella after the game (©INPHO/Bryan Keane)

Ireland's attention will now turn to Fiji, who they host at the Aviva this Saturday.

And Andy Farrell expects the Dublin venue to remain their fortress in the run up to France 2023.

“It is, but we expect it of ourselves," he said. "That's the reality.

"We talk about it a lot. We expect it of ourselves, and it's pleasing that we're able to back that up against a side that we really rate and know that we're going to be competing hard against over the next year or so (at the World Cup)."

READ NEXT:

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• Jimmy O'Brien admits he was "s****ing it" when coming on for Ireland

• Ireland player ratings as van der Flier shines against world champions

• Josh van der Flier plays down try scoring exploits as Ireland defeat South Africa

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