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Schalk Brits predicts Ireland will flop at the Rugby World Cup

Former Springboks hooker Schalk Brits has predicted that Ireland will flop at the Rugby World Cup in France in a little over three months time.

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Speaking on the RugbyPass Offload Podcast, Brits predicted a gloomly campaign for Andy Farrell’s world no.1s, despite the world beating Test record over the last two seasons.

“Ireland specifically, it’s a bit weird. They’ve never performed in a World Cup and I hope, from our perspective (Springboks’) they keep it there, until they prove it different. They’ve always been great between World Cups, but when the World Cup comes… have they made a quarterfinal, or past a quarter final?

“Unfortunately, that’s a belief that is hard to change within a group. If we take Saracens, I mean, how many finals did we lose in? Eventually then win one, then the belief grows and even in the tight exchanges, you believe, you can win, and sometime that’s just the difference.”

When asked was he ‘basically writing Ireland off’ for the World Cup, he replied “I did not say that!”

“I hope Ireland and South Africa go through to the semis,” before joking: “They going to be going home quite quickly. They’ll have the bus booked for after the pool stages!

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Later in the segment, when asked to give his predictions, Brits said “Ireland will come up short under pressure”, predicting South Africa or France were going to win it.

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When co-anchor Max Lahiff predicted that Ireland would ‘flop’, Brits doubled-down on his dire forecast for the Irish, saying ‘I agree. They’re the No.1 team in the world. They’ve won everything at the Six Nations and that’s the other part that will be hard for them, to manage the pressure of being the favourites going into the World Cup, or number 1 or two.

“That is extremely hard to manage that. That is a different kettle of fish.”

 

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Comments

4 Comments
A
AF 788 days ago

So want Ireland to win it as everyone is simply just writing them off as if they're just not good enough, and yet other teams are that much...beyond them currently? Seriously?

T
Tim 785 days ago

It's a nonsense argument from Brits anyway. If a team has to lose a final before they can win one, then France should have about 3 RWCs already.

I think Ireland do have the self belief to win it. Beating NZ 2-1 at home then the 6 nations. Pretty impressive.

f
fl 787 days ago

South Africans are incapable of understanding the linearity of history. The fact that they were a better side than Ireland in the 20th century is taken as incontrovertible proof that they'll win every time they play - never mind the abundant evidence to the contrary.


South Africa are in for a shock against Scotland. They'll probably beat Scotland, but it'll be much closer than they expect and it will be all downhill from there.

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J
JW 37 minutes ago
New Zealanders may not understand, but in France Test rugby is the 'B movie'

But he was wrong, he had to take back what he said. But maybe this only happened because he came out and was honest with his initial plans?


He’s simply in a position where he should be far more professional.


I don’t really follow much media, especially SM, but again, I’ve not seen anyone complaining. Plenty of ridicule and pointing out things like it being disrespectful to the game, but as far as the English language goes, that’s not complaining. Nick Bishop for instance hasn’t been complaining, he’s simply saying Galthie made a bad decision for France’s prospects (which when the common reply is ‘thats how it is’).


Complaining would be views expressing that the FFR should have put the tour back a week so that all T14 finalists could attend. Complaining would be saying they’ve been robbed of seeing the worlds best stars. Complaining would be saying players can simply take extra weeks off from T14. I’ve only seen advice and suggestions that these are things France need to look-at-for-the-future.


Basically I tried to communicate with French fans because they don’t understand what’s being communicated. ALL reactions I have seen shared here by French supports have all seemed way over the top compared what I’ve seen expressed about this tour.

the players are expected to play in too many matches, for too many minutes, and need more rest and recovery time.

This is the message I have been sharing. So something needs to happen, whether thats France pull out of more Internationals or rest players from more domestic games, who knows, but I also don’t think what they have now is working. It’s obviously much better than 3-4 years ago, but they appear to want to work even harder at it like you say. Personally I’ve only seen LNR be reasonable, I hear much less of their other internationals being denied/influenced not to play, so I imagine that they will give even further (as I can’t really see France pulling out the other international windows as well).

147 Go to comments
J
JW 1 hour ago
'The Wallabies only have themselves to blame': How the Lions sunk Australia in Melbourne

Cameron Woki picked at the base of a ruck and jumped/dived over. That would clearly now be penalised.

But the Sheehan try is different to my eye. It starts from a tap penalty, he drives forward, the two WB defenders go low for a tackle in the assumption Sheehan will go to ground. He does not, but seeing the hole now left dives through it. In this case surely there is zero danger there.

World Rugby’s terminology/interpretation recently (shared again after this) is that it’s ok to hurdle/dive (that includes over, say a ruck, which we have seen this many times even in this years SR) to score a try, but it’s not (OK) to avoid a tackle. I can’t remember the one you describe (which may have been where their clarification came from) but that would sound OK. Sheehan definitely was playing the rope-a-dope and dived to avoid being tackled (can’t call it tackled really, just blocked/stopped lol), so shouldn’t have been awarded (I wasn’t aware of this last definition so just thought it was a very smart move). Was it premeditated? I’m not sure, but he could definitely have collected someones head if that was the case. And I guess even if he saw the space, I guess it’s not something they can allow as others might try it and get it terribly wrong?


Well summed up Miz. I have been thinking the whole situation of events that lead to this type of sneaky move is the problem, particularly as it relates to the difficulty and effort defenders now go to stop such situations (like say Slippers try), where players go extremely low to drive from meters out (and in most cases plays just trying to dive under). It’s also ugly business seeing attempt after attempt to go in under the tacklers, especially with them not really being able to perform a ‘tackle’ at all. I would simply give the defenders their goal line. All they need is some part of the body on or behind, and this will stop the play (being the fuel to this fire) from being attempted I reckon.

40 Go to comments
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LONG READ 'The Wallabies only have themselves to blame': How the Lions sunk Australia in Melbourne 'The Wallabies only have themselves to blame': How the Lions sunk Australia in Melbourne