Rassie Erasmus desperately wants to beat Ireland after the Springboks disappointed when the teams clashed at the 2023 Rugby World Cup, writes MARK KEOHANE.
The world champions chase their first win against Ireland since 2016 when Erasmus’ charges and the Six Nations title-holders lock horns in Pretoria on Saturday.
The match is expected to be an intense battle given the growing rivalry between the sides – the Boks went down 13-8 against Ireland during the pool stages of last year’s rugby showpiece in France and haven’t beaten the Irish since 2016.
Writing for TimesLIVE, Keohane emphasises the respect that Erasmus has shown to Andy Farrell’s Ireland by selecting a team nearly identical to the World Cup final lineup for this week’s match at Loftus Versfeld.
He underscores how highly Erasmus rates the Irish, noting they are the only team he hasn’t beaten in six years. The match also marks the first time that the World Cup winners play in South Africa since their victory over the All Blacks in Paris.
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With new Bok attack coach Tony Brown and defence specialist Jerry Flannery, Keohane predicts a thrilling Test while offering insights into both teams’ future prospects.
“Erasmus, in interviews, has said if someone had offered him two defeats against Ireland in the past six years, but given him two World Cup titles and a British & Irish Series win, then he would have taken the trade-off,” he writes.
“The Bok coach, having coached at Munster for two seasons, wants to beat Ireland and was particularly annoyed that the Boks did not win the pool match-up [in 2023].
“In Chasing the Sun, Erasmus said that while it was not a clutch match for the Boks and they would still have qualified if they lost, he was seriously put out by the lack of emotion from the players in defeat.
“He felt they were not at the races and he let them have it. So while the match was not a World Cup decider, it certainly hurt the coach.
“His World Cup winners owe him, and it starts in Pretoria on Saturday.”
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