The Andy Farrell answer to Ireland or South Africa being world No1

Andy Farrell has claimed he has no interest in adding to the debate over whether his Ireland team or South Africa are currently the world’s best. The Irish travelled to the southern hemisphere four months after clinching back-to-back Six Nations titles and their tour to the home of the back-to-back Rugby World Cup champions generated lengthy chatter in the build-up over who genuinely is No1.

Ireland beat South Africa 13-8 in a World Cup pool match in Paris last September but last weekend’s 27-20 win by the Springboks led to suggestions that there was quite a gap between the world’s top two ranked sides.

Those claims were then shredded by Saturday’s compelling conclusion in Durban, the Irish grabbing a last-gasp 25-24 win with an 80th-minute Ciaran Frawley drop goal. Head coach Farrell, though, refused to add his tuppence to the ‘who is the best?’ debate in the wake of the two-Test July series being drawn one-all.

“I actually don’t care, actually don’t care,” he said in the ground floor room at Kings Park that hosted the post-game media briefings. “Two good sides, you wouldn’t want to separate them.

“It is what it is and you could join a couple of other, even more, two or three, three or four countries into that because I actually think world rugby is in a good state because of that type of competition. Long may it continue.”

His respect for the South Africans was clearly evident. “We have got a function now. I’m looking forward to that because you guys keep telling us it’s a long old season, a 13-month season for these guys but you wouldn’t think it.

“If we had lost there would have been no excuses at all because when you play for Ireland they are all proper Test matches, so there is no excuses. We’ll enjoy a beer with South Africa because the tussles have been immense.’

Another aspect that Farrell wasn’t having any of was how Saturday was his 50th match in charge of Ireland since his promotion to head coach following the post-2019 World Cup departure of Joe Schmidt.

“I don’t know the relevance of that. It’s not a milestone and I don’t get the relevance. It’s irrelevant. As far as drama and the pressure we put on ourselves to perform, it is right up there. They [South Africa] are a wonderful team, a magnificent team.

“Last week was difficult for us, we said it as it was, that we weren’t happy, so we had to come out and perform and when you have those conversations, you are talking about character so for that to come through… that’s what sport is all about really.”