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Erasmus: 'I'd rather be in our position than Ireland's'

Garry Ringrose of Ireland in action during the Rugby World Cup France 2023 match between South Africa and Ireland at Stade de France on September 23, 2023 in Paris, France. (Photo by Christian Liewig - Corbis/Getty Images)

Springboks Director of Rugby Rassie Erasmus has claimed that he would rather be in South Africa’s position heading into the final round despite Ireland being the only undefeated side in Pool B.

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Andy Farrell’s side sit three from three but a final round clash with Scotland awaits. The Scots have everything to play for in order to qualify for the quarter-finals, making Ireland’s position a tough one to be in according to Erasmus.

“With full humbleness, and there is no arrogance saying this, but I’d rather sit here than be Ireland knowing that we’ve been number one in the world all the time and Scotland basically just have to beat them by eight points and they are out of the tournament,” Erasmus explained.

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“The score could be 22-12 or 22-13 and Ireland are out of the competition if they don’t get a bonus point. Of the three teams we are probably the most comfortable sitting here knowing we have got a two week rest.

“Look, maybe we have got six months rest if the cards don’t fall our way.

“We have got two weeks off where we can analyse all three teams that we can possibly play.

“I always thought the Ireland-Scotland game was going to be nervy, just like the France-Italy game will be nervy. I know everybody writes off Italy and though Italy are not used to playing against southern hemisphere teams they are used to playing against northern hemisphere teams.

“There are going to be some interesting permutations still in the rest of this World Cup.”

There is still a situation that would see South Africa fail to qualify, with all three teams still at risk of bowing out at the pool stage.

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But as Erasmus explained, that risk for South Africa is quite low requiring a historic winning margin by Scotland along with Ireland also scoring four tries at the same time.

“Basically, as I understand it, if Scotland beat Ireland by more than eight points and Ireland don’t get a bonus point then Ireland is out. We would be first, Scotland second and Ireland out. If Scotland beat Ireland 8-0, Ireland are out,” he said.

“That’s how I see it. I was thinking about that a lot last night.

“The other permutation, which is the interesting one, is when all three of us are on 15 points. Then the team with the best net-o points (points difference) first of all goes through.

“If Scotland’s net-o points is the best, then Scotland will go through and we will fall out as Ireland beat us. First it goes to net-o points, then for the second team it is who beat who.

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“For that to happen Scotland must score four tries and beat Ireland by more than 20 points and Ireland must get one bonus point somehow. There are three or four very interesting permutations. But if I was Scotland I’d just want to beat them by eight points and not even score a try.

“If I was Ireland I’d definitely make sure they beat them. If Ireland finish first on net-o points then we go through as we beat Scotland.”

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Comments

22 Comments
B
BV 657 days ago

Ahh, Benny Smith…. I have it on good authority that a Saffa once pinched his lunch money in prep school

P
PaPaRumple 659 days ago

Wow this is the first time I have read a Ben Smith article and not found outright hate towards South African in it. Well done Ben you are growing as a human being.

C
Cam 658 days ago

BS didn't always bait or 'hate on' Saffas. If you go back to his more 'neutral' stuff from a few years back- his 'comments' count and readership was not nearly as much as it is now. How many folk here, read his 'expert opinion' because they need edification? Nay- they enjoy getting outraged- and BS provides an outlet. He wouldn't survive or make his quota to appease the Overlords at RugbyPass if it wasn't for irate Bok fans who can't help themselves but respond. Even negative attention is still attention.

r
rs 659 days ago

If one was a neutral then all these supporters would be seen as arrogant so unlike the players

W
WK 660 days ago

It's all just banter... Bit of mind games. I mean, it's not like Ireland choke at World Cups or anything.

B
Blanco 659 days ago

We actually don't.

B
Blanco 660 days ago

So glad Ireland dont get involved in or listen to this kind of nonsense from Erasmus.

S
Stephen 659 days ago

It's not nonsense he is stating the facts as it is.

You may not like Erasmus but he does speak the truth.

And Ireland should be very afraid of Scotland and that's not nonsense.

c
cecil 660 days ago

I agree. He is too full of himself!!

S
Snash 660 days ago

do you have a hotline to Farrell?

N
Nigellas 661 days ago

Supporting the South African B team this coming weekend! GO Scotland!

G
Gavin 659 days ago

Why don't you support the NZ B team rather 😉

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Soliloquin 1 hour ago
Competing interests and rotated squads: What the 'player welfare summer' is really telling us

I don’t know the financial story behind the changes that were implemented, but I guess clubs started to lose money, Mourad Boudjellal won it all with Toulon, got tired and wanted to invest in football , the French national team was at its lowest with the QF humiliation in 2015 and the FFR needed to transform the model where no French talent could thrive. Interestingly enough, the JIFF rule came in during the 2009/2010 season, so before the Toulon dynasty, but it was only 40% of the players that to be from trained in French academies. But the crops came a few years later, when they passed it at the current level of 70%.

Again, I’m not a huge fan of under 18 players being scouted and signed. I’d rather have French clubs create sub-academies in French territories like Wallis and Futuna, New Caledonia and other places that are culturally closer to RU and geographically closer to rugby lands. Mauvaka, Moefana, Taofifenua bros, Tolofua bros, Falatea - they all came to mainland after starting their rugby adventure back home.

They’re French, they come from economically struggling areas, and rugby can help locally, instead of lumping foreign talents.

And even though many national teams benefit from their players training and playing in France, there are cases where they could avoid trying to get them in the French national team (Tatafu).

In other cases, I feel less shame when the country doesn’t believe in the player like in Meafou’s case.

And there are players that never consider switching to the French national team like Niniashvili, Merckler or even Capuozzo, who is French and doesn’t really speak Italian.

We’ll see with Jacques Willis 🥲


But hey, it’s nothing new to Australia and NZ with PI!

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LONG READ Competing interests and rotated squads: What the 'player welfare summer' is really telling us Competing interests and rotated squads: What the 'player welfare summer' is really telling us