Live commentary - email pgallagher@irishtimes.com

• Paul Gallagher brings you live text updates from Ireland's memorable 15-10 win over the Springboks at Croke Park (Saturday, November 28th)
• RTE Post-Match Analysis Snapshot: "The best team in the world at the moment," says Pope. "Sexton has proved he can come compete at the highest level," adds O'Shea. "For once Ireland can now go to a World Cup with genuine ambitions," said Hook.
• 81min FINAL WHISTLE! It's all over. Ireland have beaten the World and Tri-Nations champions 15-10 to end a wonderful Grand Slam season unbeaten. This period is surely the pinnacle in the history of Irish rugby.
• 80min "Last play," says Owens. Pienaar tries to advance further into the Irish 22, Healsip told to roll away. Du Preez has options, it goes wide but a monster tackle from O'Driscoll on Kirchner breaks up play. Penalty to Ireland for holding on. Truly fitting that O'Driscoll has the final say. He epitomises all that is great about this Irish team.
• 79min Heart in mouth stuff, De Villiers breaks and Burger bursts down the right side. In comes the Beast for a slice of the action as SA edge to within inches of the Irish line. High tempo stuff in the cauldron of pressure. Ireland are fighting for their lives. Du Preez tries to pick the ball out from the mass of bodies and spins it wide and Ireland are stretched - there are gaps everywhere. Hang on, hang on.
• 78min ROB KEARNEY is named man-of-the-match for all his effort and pressure from the back. It could have been any number in an Irish jersey but the fullback is a worthy recipient.
• 77min SA move it down the narrow side and as you might expect it's sustained pressure from the world champions. Great defensive work from Ireland and Kearney makes a crucial tackle. The finish line is almost in sight.
• 76min Heaslip's shirt is ripped to shreds and goes off the pitch to get a replacement top. Ref calls timeout as the wolf whistles sound around Croke Park.
• 73min This game could go any way but the RTE stats show Ireland have dominated the possession and are good value for their lead. Another Ireland put-in as Flannery throws a fine dart and the forwards set up. David Wallace makes the hard yards and O'Connell keeps it live. Penalty Ireland - brilliant work from O'Connell. Sexton from left and 50m out but he pushes it wide, 5 from 7 attempts.
• 71min Scrum to Ireland for forward pass, Bowe and Flannery okay to continue after knocks. Good Irish scrum, O'Connell and O'Callaghan work the engine room but turnover ball for SA.
• 70min Into the final 10 minutes and Burger tries to move forward but great work from Ireland at the breakdown and turnover ball. Bowe is released and breaks brilliantly - not as quick as Earls but pacy nonetheless. Poor decision by the ref, high tackle on Bowe not punished.
• 67min SA respond immediately and are awarded a penalty. Pienaar takes over kicking duties from Steyn but his effort from 48m out comes off the posts and into the hands of O'Driscoll. The visitors have wasted far too many chances from the boot today.
• 66min Silly knock-on from O'Brien but SA hold on after the scrum and another penalty for Ireland from the middle of the park. Much easier chance for Sexton 39m in front of the posts. Score! Ireland increase lead to 15-10. Sexton is over his blip - 5 from 6, great return from the boot.
• 63min O'Leary moves it wide again, Heaslip frees up Earl and the afterburners are turned on before the Munsterman kicks and chases and almost makes it. Great move and high workrate - Ireland definitely in the ascendancy now.
• 60min The ineffective Steyn is replaced by Ruan Pienaar. Are the Springboks finally tiring? Ireland must keep their composure and shape and this game is here for the taking.
• 59min Earls takes it down the blindisde but the door is shut by Pietersen and Steyn. Hayes picks and goes but no way through. Ireland are rewarded with a penalty for all their pressure but for once Sexton misses.
• 58min Best period of the match for Ireland, the crowds urge them on. D'Arcy controlling the midfield, he looks back to his best. Healy pushes towards the SA line. O'Connell and O'Callaghan pick it up but no way through.
• 55min The kick-pong tactics begin once more.
• 53min Great clearance kick from Kearney and chance for Ireland to set-up inside the SA 22. Strong Irish lineout, D'Arcy tries to break the line but the SA defence stays strong.
• 51min Penalty. Sexton from his more difficult right side just outside the 22. Majestic. Sexton simply cannot miss as he sends it through the middle of the posts. Ireland take the lead - Ireland 12-10.
• 50min Ireland win lineout but too slow though. Wait! Touch judge has seen something. Penalty to Ireland against Bekker for dropping a knee. Should have gone to the sin-bin. Bad call by referee Owens.
• 47min Sexton sets up from his left and makes it three for three. He's cool as you like. That's now nine from nine with the boot at Test level. It's a one-point game, 9-10 South Africa.
• 45min SA Lineout wasn't straight. Ireland put-in at the scrum but SA bully the Irish pack. Luckily it's cleared to safety. O'Leary takes it early and D'Arcy goes on one if his mazy runs. High tackle against Steyn on O'Driscoll. Penalty Ireland.
• 40min Penalty: early opportunity for SA to extend their lead 46metres. Steyn lets another opportunity go astray 1 from 4 in attempts with the boot
• 41min Second half gets under way. Bad news for Ireland, Stephen Ferris doesn't reappear and is replaced by Sean O'Brien. Huge physical loss for the Grand Slam champions.
• Half-time analysis "If it was a boxing match it would be stopped. We're hanging on for grim death. We're being beaten up," according to George Hook. O'Shea and Pope are more optimistic and look to Kearney, O'Driscoll and Sexton as positives from the first half.
• 40min Last action of the half sees Steyn have another attempt but surely out of range from inside his own half. Hits the post and drops short as O'Leary clears his lines. HALF-TIME Ireland 6-10 South Africa. In case you were in any doubt "this is a full-blooded Test match" according to RTE's Ryle Nugent. He ain't wrong.
• 38min Penalty SA but Steyn's effort comes up short. These misses could prove costly come the final tally.
• 37min O'Driscoll boots a poor drop goal effort before Pietersen gets too much space down the flank but Sexton tidies up.
• 35min Habana threatens to break down the short side, his pace is blistering and Ireland are fortunate Kearney closed him down. Frenetic stuff. SA lineout inside Ireland 22 but penalty to Ireland for infringement off the ground. Sexton lands another assured kick to touch. Does nothing phase this lad?
• 33min Ireland win possession, O'Leary, Kearney and O'Connell keep ball in hand and work it well at the breakdown. Still no end product though as Irish runners become isolated.
• 31min Hardly a chance to take breath. Ireland are staying with the world champions but first Irish malfunction at lineout as Flannery's dart not straight.
• 29min Brilliant. Sexton fires it between the posts - two-for-two - and reduces the deficit to four points. 10-6 South Africa
• 27min Ferris is now carrying an injury but is back on the field. Ireland lineout, Flannery throws a good dart as Ireland feed it through the backline. Kearney hits it at full tilt and makes his way into the SA 22. Penalty Ireland as SA go "through the gate". Sexton has chance to reduce the deficit.
• 26min The Leinster partnership of O'Driscoll and D'Arcy immediately combine to good effect as they look to shake it up in midfield.
• 23min Steyn attempts a second drop goal and this time converts - 10-3 SA. Paddy Wallace can't walk and is eventually replaced by Gordon D'Arcy.
• 22min Paddy Wallace is injured but struggles on at the moment - though his afternoon looks all but over.
• 20min David Wallace tries to drive it forward one metre from tryline but penalty to SA for holding on the ground, let off for the visitors.
• 18min Ireland repsond immediately as Heaslip carries forward. O'Driscoll breaks the line brilliantly. Wallace carries it on and Ireland are camped just two metres from the SA try line. Breather! How did O'Driscoll do it, there were three Springboks around him but somehow he wriggled his way through.
• 15min TRY BURGER: Ireland take their eye off the ball as the controversial Springbok forces his way over the whitewash and riles the home support with a stupid celebration by kicking ball into the crowd. Steyne converts from near the touchline 7-3 South Africa
• 14min The kicking and chasing continues. Ireland have plenty of possession but they need to move it further up the field. A second Springbok put-in at the scrum. Penalty SA and Du Preez takes it early but Ireland seem wise to the threat.
• 8min Penalty: Sexton from 44m - fine strike straight between the posts. The Leinster man carries through his 100 per cent record with the boot from the Fiji game - 3-0 Ireland.
• 7min As the fog descends on Croke Park Du Preez tries to feed his backline as Ireland are penned in. Wait, Heaslip breaks the line and moves forward with Flannery. Penalty to Ireland.
• 5min As expected it's a kicking game at the moment. South African lineout at halfway line. Ireland are holding their own, soaking up the pressure and clearing out well.
• 3min Kearney and Roussow involved in early altercation. "Whatever happened there, ends there," says Owens.
• 2min Morne Steyn has an early attempt at drop goal but misses as Ireland are under immediate pressure.
• 1min Irish put-in for the first lineout after kick-off. Ireland playing in white, South Africa in traditional green. Ireland tested early on.
• 2.40pm: GAME-ON Referee Nigel Owens raises an arm, blows his whistle, and we're off, the game we've all been waiting for!
• 2.37pm The anthems beat strong as Ireland and South Africa stand proud. Croke Park is almost at full capacity, some 74,900 have spilled in.
• 2.31pm President McAleese walks the red carpet and is introduced to both starting line-ups. It's a cold, brisk but dry day down Jones' Road - some would say ideal conditions for rugby!
• GET IN TOUCH For those of you will little better to do of a Saturday afternoon than tap into this drivel for the next 80 minutes, then why not drop me a line, let us know your take on the game as the action unfolds at GAA headquarters. Email: pgallagher@irishtimes.com
• 2.29pm WAITING IS ALMOST OVER The talking is almost over. Northern hemisphere versus southern hemisphere, Grand Slam champions versus World and Tri-nations champions, dress it up whatever way you like, no quarter will be given as both sides are set to do battle. Bring it on.
• With the level-headed Nigel Owens (Wales) officiating at least the game has every chance of being a fair and balanced contest
• TV COVERAGE
I see Statler and Waldorf, sorry Hook and Pope, are already at their curmudgeonly best in the RTE studio. Messrs McGurk, Hook, Pope and O'Shea set the scene at Croker. In an interview Paul O'Connell insists "there is no lingering bad blood from the Lions Tour". The big Munsterman suggests a grudge might be good for the newspapers but he doesn't read anything into it.
• Bakkies Botha ruled out: News just in - Bakkies Botha is a late withdrawal, his absence is a further blow for the injury-hit world champions. Botha failed to recover from a back injury and is replaced by Andries Bekker. Francois Hougaard takes Bekker's place on the bench.
• Kick-off at Croke Park has been delayed by five minutes.
• WELCOME: Ireland v South Africa (Croke Park, Dublin, kick-off 2.30pm)
• The primary preamble to this one has been the Sexton/O'Gara debate. And let's face it, surely it's a win-win situation as Ireland now hopefully has two world-class outhalves fighting for the starting role.
• Ronan O'Gara has virtually made the number 10 jersey all his own since 2003 but now he has a genuine contender in Jonathan Sexton - surely this will only serve to fire-up the Munster playmaker to regain his place.
• As for Sexton, Declan Kidney has definitely thrown him in at the deep end this afternoon, but he certainly showed enough class and composure on his senior debut against Fiji and today is his chance to step up another level.
• The consensus is Ireland must step up to the plate against the Springboks and meet the physical challenge head-on. If they can ride the storm through the opening quarter then Ireland should have a platform from which to build.
• EXPERT OPINION
Views from inside this particular tent suggest Ireland possess enough muscle to meet this challenge head-on. Matt Williams, Irish Times rugby analyst, says if the Grand Slam champions are to have any chance of success, they must follow France's recent example and meet the physical encounter head-on "How do you stop a defence running at you fast? You run at them faster," says the Aussie.
• Gerry Thornley, Irish Times rugby correspondent, believes there will be a number of subplots on the pitch, not least with Brian O'Driscoll and Fourie du Preez, who are both hot favourites for the IRB world player of the year award.
• Thornley suggests the Springboks might be feeling fatigued at the end of a long-hard season, this combined with the Irish Lions contingent looking to exact revenge, it promises to serve up a mouth-watering encounter.
• Liam Toland, Irish Times rugby analyst, is of the opinion South Africa come to Dublin with a big reputation but are there for the taking. Despite the Springboks making frontrow changes Toland believes the visitors will still target Ireland's scrum, but says Ireland's scrum is settled enough to provide attacking options. "I believe our scrum will surprise a few. And from a more settled scrum I hope that there is far more activity around the 10 channel. This will provide another point of attack as both David Wallace and Jamie Heaslip can make ground given the right angle," he says.
• Like Thornley, Toland also suggests today will be a "kicking fest" and the flow of ball will become key.
• TEAMS
• Ireland: R Kearney; T Bowe, B O'Driscoll (capt), P Wallace, K Earls; J Sexton, T O'Leary; C Healy, J Flannery, J Hayes, D O'Callaghan, P O'Connell, S Ferris, D Wallace, J Heaslip. Replacements: S Cronin, T Buckley, L Cullen, S O'Brien, P Stringer, R O'Gara, G D'Arcy.
• South Africa: Z Kirchner; JP Pietersen, J Fourie, W Olivier, B Habana; M Steyn, F du Preez; T Mtawarira, J Smit (capt), BJ Botha, B Botha, V Matfield; H Brussow, S Burger, D Rossouw. Replacements: B du Plessis, CJ van der Linde, A Bekker, J Deysel, D Potgieter, R Pienaar, J de Villiers.