'Irish jersey wasn't good enough' for All Blacks players

Former Ireland hooker Bernard Jackman has recounted how All Blacks players refused to swap jerseys with Irish players during his playing career as the 'Irish jersey wasn't good enough'.

Ireland take on New Zealand in the quarter-final of the Rugby World Cup in Paris on Saturday night in what is being billed as a revenge mission for Ian Foster's men.

The simmering rivalry between the sides has become one of the most competitive in rugby union, with both teams looking for an edge and what is being touted as a 50/50 contest for the ages.

Now, former Ireland hooker Jackman has come in to bat in response to claims that the current Ireland team behaved arrogantly towards their New Zealand counterparts last year during their historic series win.

Respected Kiwi journalist Gregor Paul had suggested that Peter O'Mahony and Johnny Sexton had maybe crossed a line during the win on NZ soil. O'Mahony had infamously described NZ captain Sam Cane as a 's***e Richie McCaw', while an exchange of words between Sexton and hooker Dane Coles had also apparently ruffled feathers with the New Zealanders.

In response, Jackman told an anecdote to Claire Byrne on RTE Radio 1 that showed that the Irish had been on the receiving end of some disrespectful behaviour when Jackman played against the team during his Test career.

Richie McCaw captain of the All Blacks claps the Irish team off the field following the Guinness Series match between Ireland and New Zealand at Croke Park on November 15, 2008 in Dublin, Ireland. (Photo by Ross Land/Getty Images)

"I think it's difficult to see that [arrogance] in your own country, some of the All-Black's captains, Richie McCaw and Sean Fitzpatrick, I grew up watching them influence referees and take no prisoners on the field and rightly so. I don't think we should apologise for that.

"These players, both All-Blacks and Ireland, are incredibly motivated and passionate about trying to win for their country. The All-Blacks had that, they had that aura about them and it's not so long ago that I was part of an Irish team where we went in to try and swap jerseys with them after the game and the Irish jersey wasn't good enough. They didn't want to swap it, they told us they'd worked too hard to get that All-Blacks jersey.

"I understand that's their choice but that was the level they were at compared to Ireland and now we've joined them, we haven't surpassed them because we've a long way to go. But we are number one in the world, we hope we can do something special at this World Cup.

"I don't see any arrogance in this Irish team or with the fans either. The only thing that's changed is we actually hope we have a chance, the rankings and bookies say we have a chance. Tomorrrow we'll see if we're good enough to beat one of the best teams in the world and the best over the last 100 years.

"The jersey story never got out, I'm only telling it now because we're being accused of arrogance. The only answer to that is to get yourself to a level where they want that Irish jersey. Where they say that beating Ireland is a decent result and this Irish team have worked their way quietly to get to that level but tomorrow is another significant test like South Africa and Scotland was. There's also that quarter-final barrier that we haven't got past before so it's going to be fascinating. It'll be a bounce of the ball tomorrow if both teams play at their best so hopefully we're lucky with that bounce of the ball."