South Africa Star Reveals ‘Arrogant’ Comments From Ireland Players After World Cup Meeting

While Ireland would redeem themselves somewhat after winning the Six Nations earlier this year, there is no doubt that the disappointment from last autumn’s Rugby World Cup is still fresh for those in the squad.

During the tournament’s pool rounds, Andy Farrell’s team was the best; they defeated South Africa and thoroughly beat Scotland to win their group. They would, however, perform poorly against New Zealand in the quarterfinals and lose at the first knockout stage once more.

There’s no shame in losing to the All Blacks, but several remarks made by Irish players following their victory over South Africa may cast doubt on their focus in the lead-up to that match.

South Africa star reveals ‘arrogant’ Ireland comments at Rugby World Cup

Heading into the World Cup, there was a sense that Ireland and South Africa were the two best teams in world rugby. Having been drawn in the same pool, many felt that the pair could end up meeting for second time in the final.

If Eben Etzebeth’s remarks are to be accepted, it appears that the Ireland players themselves took such accusations seriously.

He disclosed on The Rugby Pod that several Irish players informed the Springboks they would “see them in the final.” At the time, the 32-year-old was shocked by their haughtiness.

The procedure was to shake hands with the boys, and when I did so, I think 12 out of the 23 said to me, “See you guys in the final.”

Because the way the logs worked out we were going to play France and they were going to play New Zealand and my immediate thought was, ‘Are these guys seriously not even thinking about the All Blacks in the World Cup quarter-final playing against them?’

That comment they made, “See you guys in the final,” made me think that these guys were seriously misjudging one of the most dominant teams in the last 20 to 30 years of Test rugby, if not the most dominant side overall.

I thought to myself, “Surely they can’t!” We wouldn’t say that, after all, since we were aware that we were the hosts and that we needed to show up to defeat France in their own country. Yes, it seemed as though they were incredibly self-assured when they said things like, “See you in the final,” knowing that they would face the formidable All Blacks in the World Cup quarterfinal.

Although having confidence is a positive thing, you can never be conceited in rugby because, even in the best of seasons, one mistake or missed tackle may result in a guy putting you on your ass. The allure of this game lies in the fact that you are never truly victorious.

Considering that Ireland knew they would be playing New Zealand in a World Cup quarterfinal, their remarks were definitely odd.

It is reasonable to wonder if they overestimated the challenge that would be presented to them in that game, given how slowly they started that match against the All Blacks.