Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus. Picture: Steve Haag/Gallo Images
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has stirred up some “big match temperament” with one of his Rassie on Alles video clips ahead of the Boks’ first encounter with Ireland on Saturday afternoon at Loftus Versfeld, in Pretoria.
In the clip posted on the official Springboks X account, a relaxed Erasmus shares his impression of the Irish when he was coaching the Irish team of Munster back in 2016.
One of the Munster players at the time, Stephen Fitzgerald, told The 42 that Erasmus was “the most ruthless and also the most confident man I’ve ever met”.
In the video, Erasmus recalls that the Irish “minded me when I was there with my rough Afrikaans accent”, adding that he learnt “a hell of a lot” from them during his stay.
But at the same time as paying respect to the Irish, the Bok coach also makes a point of highlighting the seeming arrogance of Irish fans in response to his team’s recent Rugby World Cup success.
“Contrary to what most people think, I can say nothing bad about the Irish. The media likes to hype it up a lot,” Erasmus can be heard saying.
Rassie however, also notes that when their side does well, Irish fans often become “a bit full of yourselves” and “a bit windgat” (show-off).
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Ireland were the only team to defeat the Springboks during the 2023 Rugby World Cup in a thrilling 13-8 win in the pool stages in Paris.
The Irish have however never won a Test series on South African soil.
The Springboks‘ last win over Ireland came in 2016 under former head coach Allister Coetzee.
Ireland will replace South Africa as the No. 1-ranked team in the world if they pull off a win in Pretoria this Saturday afternoon.
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