Unbeatable

Johnny Sexton puts boot into World Champions as home team hold on for 15-10 win to end 2009 without a single loss

Malachy Clerkin, Croke Park

Standing tall: Jamie Heaslip celebrates Ireland's 15-10 over South Africa at Croke Park on a day when he, among many of his high-performing teammates, stood out

Kicking king: Jonny Sexton had a fine day from the boot

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In this year of years, it seemed fitting that this was in doubt right down to the last play, the last run and the last tackle. And if that be so, nobody can be surprised that the final, game-ending, year-sealing tackle belonged to Brian O'Driscoll. With South Africa on the rampage, with the clock in debt, with the whole of Croke Park on tenterhooks, Ireland's captain threw himself into a huge hit on Zane Kirchner in midfield that acted as a stick in a bicycle spoke to the Springboks. Nigel Owens blew the final whistle seconds later as Kirchner didn't release the ball and Ireland had a 15-10 win to file away. "Yeah, well he was getting hit whether he had the ball or not," smiled O'Driscoll afterwards.

It means that 2009 ends with Declan Kidney's side having played 11 games without losing a single one. It ends with them having lifted every trophy they could have and having beaten the world champions. It sends them into the future on a three-game winning streak over South Africa and all manner of new blood washing through what was looking like an old and tiring squad only this weekend last year.

Johnny Sexton and Cian Healy have been given their head in the November internationals and both look like they could keep going for a decade. They were good here again yesterday – Sexton was flawless from the boot for most of the afternoon, albeit that he wobbled slightly near the end – and the likes of O'Driscoll, Paul O'Connell and Jamie Heaslip stood out as well. But in the end, nobody fell out of their seat with surprise at the choice of Rob Kearney for man of the match.

Kearney ran and spun and skipped his way through the afternoon, putting moves on the Springbok kick-chasers like an NFL running back. He treats first tacklers like they're turnstile attendants, a minor nuisance to be endured and dismissed with only the slightest pause. While the wider rugby world bemoans the descent into kick-tennis, Kearney is making out like a sheikh in a suddenly oil-rich state, mopping up high balls and running them back with the kind of penetration that makes teams have to think again about sending the ball his way. Eventually here, South Africa took to either kicking for touch or trying to pepper Tommy Bowe and Keith Earls. Anywhere but where Kearney was.

It helped turn the game in Ireland's direction. After the Boks' all-consuming scrum dominance handed them a 10-6 half-time lead – Schalk Burger's try came from one particularly brutal torching as the packs went down after 15 minutes – it was Kearney's constant intercessions that launched Ireland's second-half stirring.

Aided by the fact that Morne Steyn took a while to realise he was kicking in the fog-smothered igloo of Croke Park where the ball doesn't travel nearly as far as it would in the altitude of the high veldt – South Africa missed four kicks at goal out of six – Ireland had the majority of the ball after the break. And with Sexton on form at the other end, splitting the posts with each of his first four kicks and adding another for good measure with 15 minutes to go, Ireland worked their way clear. They'd have liked the taste of a try but the full belly of a win felt just as good.

"Les Kiss has a phrase for it," said Kidney afterwards. "There's no such thing as a perfect day, only moments of perfection. Today was definitely a good day. We like to play against these Tri-Nations teams as often as we can. We know we had home advantage and we know a ball came back off the post from one of their kicks so we know we have a load of things left to do. But we'll enjoy this."

So Ireland walk away the victors. And yes, we've been here before and yes, a November win over a tired team at the end of its last tour of the year has to come with a truckload of qualifications and wait-a-minutes. Three years ago this month, Australia and South Africa both left Dublin on the wrong end of Irish defeats and we all know how that turned out for all concerned. But for here and for now, these feel like the good old days.

May as well enjoy them.