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Jean de Villiers' three word response to 'best in the world' debate
By Josh Raisey
As enthralling as South Africa’s 1-1 series draw with Ireland was, it did not help much with the debate over who the best team in the world is.
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Bragging rights were up for grabs ahead of the two-match series, but with the spoils shared, little progress has been made in the battle between the top two ranked nations.
But for former Springbok Jean de Villiers, he has a simple response to settle the debate: “factually it’s us”.
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“Is the debate opinion-based or factually-based?” the 2007 World Cup winner recently said on RugbyPass TV’s latest episode of Boks Office. “Because factually we’re ranked number one in the world and we’re world champions. So there’s no debate around that.”
While de Villiers threw cold, hard facts into the discussion, he went on to say that it is “impossible to say,” with more than just two teams vying for the mantle of being the best in the world.
Ireland secured victory in the second Test in Durban with a heroic late drop goal through Ciarán Frawley, which summed up how evenly matched the series was. This did lead de Villiers to question whether the best in the world debate should be settled by one kick.
“Does a drop kick define a team to be better or not? he added. “If he misses it are we then saying we are better? Because of one kick from one person.”
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Though Ireland, South Africa, the All Blacks and France have been the four teams battling for rankings supremacy over the past few years, the South African did say that England will soon be part of that conversation after a promising series in New Zealand.
“Can Ireland enter the debate to be the best team in the world? Yes they can,” the 109-cap Springbok said.
“But South Africa’s ranked number one in the world and they’re ranked world champions. Because South Africa’s also part of that debate, and France can also be part of that debate, and New Zealand can also be part of that debate, and the way that England are going in a couple of months they will enter that debate as well.”
Regardless of who is deemed the best in the world among fans, Schalk Burger added that the conversation alone shows what a good place international rugby currently is in.
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“I think world rugby is in a good place when we’re having these conversations,” he said.
“Instead of having one team run out in front, we’ve got four teams that we think on any day can get over the line.”
LOTTO Cup winners still in denial, whats new ?!
Rugby media, youtubers etc keep trying to fan this flame. As though it matters.
Ireland is world class but the Boks are ranked no1 and World Champs…. all these idiots still blaming refs need to grow up@Dan people like you…..
In fact, 2 Irish players should've been carded with one a red card by trying to destroy a rugby players career. The crockroll on Malcolm Marx was just pure disgusting and illegal. The Irish didn't beat the Boks by out playing them. It took a moment of brilliant individual play by Ciaran Frawley for the Irish to win. There is no debate anymore. South Africa is the best in the world currently. By the end of the year, it could be somebody else. The best team goes in stages. There is never just one all time best team. If there was, then on reputation it would be the ABs, New Zealand on history. The current best team is the Boks. In WC the Irish and the French are chokers. This is the Irish best team ever and 2023 was their best chance. 2027 WC they will get stuck again. Hopefully not, because of the URC they get lots of first hand experience against world class players.
It's a shame you only started watching rugby in 2019. The boks used to have a player named Schalk Burger. Charming lad.
He used to bemoan that trying to remove his opponents eyes from their sockets (with his fingers) was a HARSH yellow card.
With the crock-roll, the bunker review didn't deem it a read card. I'm sure you know best though?
Boks got done by double scores first half. Ireland left 2 tries behind. Boks never threatened the Irish 22 all game.
Calm down you literally got handed free penalties for nothing, if you’re really this upset about foul play I suggest you get everyone in South Africa to burn their Victor Matfield and Bakkies Botha posters asap. The boks were absolutely outplayed in the first half, how many times did you look like scoring a try?
Will this pointless debate ever end?
We finally have a situation, where we have top 5 sides being reasonably equal where anyone can and does beat anyone.
So can we, please, move on instead of inventing endless reasons as to why one specific side out of those top 5, a side that remarkably did not win any medal at the recent RWC, should be the best of them all?
Both teams are world class…great that the top sides are separated by a few points…England did well against the All Blacks and those games too delivered…All Blacks had to dig deep…it wasn’t flash but they won the big moments…Ireland took their chances and sneaked home it was a thrilling 90 minutes…Boks are world Champs…Ireland are knocking on the door…they just need to get the never making it past the quarters in a RWC monkey off their back..as a rugby fan i’m just enjoying great rugby from top sides…thanks to the players for serving it up…go the All Blacks
An excellent point well made. The media over simplification of this debate is becoming tiresome. But JdV makes a good point too, you cannot decide who is the best team in the world based on one drop kick, one charge down, one hold up, one penalty kick or even one try. Most of the crucial world cup, 6N and summer series games were settled by one piece of technical excellence (NZ, Eng, SA & Ire all coming out on top in at least 1 of them) but the difference is that SA won the games that really mattered, which does set them apart from the rest of the world.
The only thing that's interesting about this discussion is how it has so completely captured the minds of rugby podcasters and pundits OUTSIDE of Ireland. This idea that the Irish think they need to be called best in the world has been hatched abroad. Not in Ireland. We prefer to talk about actual rugby. This d**k measuring contest is juvenile
-SA are world champions
-SA are ranked NR 1
-ABs are WC finalists
-Despite SAs best efforts, they couldn't “set the record straight” against Ireland who remain their bogey team
Those are facts.
This ‘raging’ debate is only happenning in media circles and has never been a topic in Ireland (although SA media are interested).
It makes the media companies money I guess.
SA are RWC champions and #1 ranked team although Ireland are back within a point there. The facts point to SA.
For a lot of 2021 France beat ALL their rivals and Ireland similar in 2022-2023. It is not wrong to say that on such form either can be deemed to be the current best team if they have beaten all their rivals and ranked #1.
The ‘have to have won a world cup’ stipulation is nonsense. The world cup draw and scheduling has been tailored to the traditional big teams since the start. The scheduling also which sees the big teams sheltered from playing a hard pool match the week before has also been a constant. It is extraordinary that for example France have made so many finals. Ireland who were realistically only contenders in 2023 were in a Pool with two other top 5 teams and had to play one of them 7 days before a quarter final against France or New Zealand. Always going to be a coin toss. Scotland’s situation was worse.
New Zealand had great chances in 1995, 1999, 2007 but they could not win a tight RWC match. The first tight match they ever won was versus France in the 2011 final, literally they lost every other tight match before that. Some of those NZ teams around that era were #1 surely?
My three word response:
They are not
Three more years
In their dreams
Sth Africa are no.1 without a doubt - ABs supporter here. Cold hard facts say so.
Only the Irish are saying they're no.1 and until they can go anywhere and win a series as well as winning a World Cup they will never be number one in the fans minds.
Winning the World Cup is the key to unlocking “the hearts and minds “ of rugby’s faithful.
I’ve yet to meet anyone in Ireland who thinks Ireland are # 1 (and I live here). SA are world cup winners and world # 1 ranked side. They are # 1 by the only 2 real measures, there’s no debate.
“Only the Irish are saying they're no.1”
That’s a lie. It would be wonderful if NZ supporters could stop lying about Ireland and Irish supporters. You have been doing it since we won the series in NZ. I wonder why?
“and until they can go anywhere and win a series”. We won the series in NZ, see above. Idiot.
Factually, Ireland needs to win another 2 x 6 Nations and the 2027 World Cup (at a minimum) before I call them the best team in the world.
The interesting thing about that is winning a 6N is damn hard. Winning 2 in a row is actually very unusual. No team has ever won 3 in a row. EVER… and yet you are looking for 4 in a row plus a world cup before Ireland can be considered. Winning is part of the conversation, but I remember a NZ team that were the best in the world from the mid 90s until maybe 2016 and it took them 15 years to put a world cup trophy in their cabinet. SA are head and shoulders above the rest of the world at the moment because they combine power, skill and intelligence with an ambitious drive that delivers world cups. But they were a basket case in 2018 and there are several teams very close to reeling them back in now.
Jean showing the power of the ignorance “learned” in a third world education.
The Boks won the first match only because of the incompetence of Whitehouse & Pearce.
Just like they benefited from Barnes being 💩 to find success at the RWC.
SH rugby is 💩. Aceept it because it is clearly the only truth.
Shame ask mommy for your dummy because you clearly cant stop crying……
You must be high!!! or just an idiot….
Your rugby IQ is showing the world just what an idiot you are. Once again, the world's richest man, the one who is leading from the front and who will put humans on other planets comes from where and was educated where? South Africa, the so called 3rd world education. Of course you will blame the ref whereas many things can be shown where the Irish were much more favoured than the Boks in the first test.
Still the Boks win. 2nd Test the same story again. Only brilliant individual play by Frawley allowed the Irish to beat the Boks. You are an idiot, a pathetic bottom scraper of the world. The Irish team worked hard to get to where they are today, but people and fans like you make the world hate the Irish because of your cockroach attuned brain functionality. Rather look at facts and see the truth than made up wannabe dreams that just isn't true. All you do is making the Irish look even worse.
It was a great test series and that's it. The end. Boks still at number 1 in the world rankings list? Yes. Is Ireland? No, end of story, and end of the debate. For now it's the Boks. Could be the ABs by the end of year or another team. Until then, stop being such a sourpuss. THE IRISH IS NOT THE NUMBER ONE TEAM. GET IT?
Aah, widdle naaijill. I would’ve thought, after you’ve spent so many years on your knees and elbows on the taxi’s backseat, you couldn’t be butthurt anymore.
Shame. You poor, sad little creature …
Ok, so if we only have the two matches to judge on and both teams won a game then we have to look at the points difference between the 2 teams and that means that SA won the series and are still the best team in the world. Thanks for coming!
Jesus this made me laugh
🤣