Irish take a keen interest in what Boks have to say

Namibia are the nearest blip on the Springboks’ radar but while Ireland are some distance away‚ they are the brightest.

In anticipation of their likely Rugby World Cup quarterfinal clash‚ the Irish are already taking a keen interest in what the SA coaching staff and players have to say.

They are particularly interested to find out what Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus and assistant Jacques Nienaber learnt in their time at Munster and what intelligence Irish defence analyst Felix Jones has brought with him to the Springbok camp.

The Bok team announcement for the match against Namibia drifted off script when Erasmus was probed about his time at Munster and what he thought of Ireland’s performance in their opening World Cup match against Scotland.

“I was very impressed with Ireland‚” said Erasmus. “I think apart from New Zealand‚ Ireland was the only other team that put a full 80 minutes out there with constructive‚ well planned‚ decisive and clinical rugby. They were physical and tactical. They put good rugby out there‚ the same with New Zealand.

“It shows in the world rankings. Everybody is blasting world rankings. Those two teams have been the most consistent in the last two years. They will be a really tough opponent and it looks like we’ll have to play them.

“They still have to get past Japan‚ which can be slippery and we still have to get past Italy and two other energetic opponents‚” the coach said.

What the Irish perhaps did not want to hear was Nienaber’s assertion that playing the All Blacks in the pool stages would have steeled the Boks for the demands of a quarterfinal against Ireland.

“I told Rassie you can learn a lot from playing an almost semifinal in your pool‚” said Nienaber, who was Erasmus’s trusted lieutenant at Munster.

“I know it sounds like a cliché to say you’ve learnt in defeat‚ but we did. For us it was great in terms of getting challenged in all departments‚ mentally‚ tactically‚ physically‚ speed of the game‚ the build-up during the week. You know when you make two mistakes against the All Blacks it is 14 points. We made three and it was 17 points.

“It is nice to play a game like that where there is so much pressure. You make a mistake‚ they punish you‚” said Nienaber.