Rassie Erasmus makes statement on latest rankings I’m not sure how accurate this is.
Rassie Erasmus has commented on the latest World Rugby rankings that saw the Springboks extend their lead at the summit.
World Rugby released the ranking permutations ahead of this past weekend’s crowded schedule of Test matches. One scenario showed how Ireland could have jumped up to the top spot if they defeated Rassie Erasmus’ Springboks by more than 15 points.
Ultimately, the Springboks prevailed 27–20, scoring 0.31 points to increase their lead overall while Ireland lost a comparable amount of points.
Regardless of the result of the second Test on Saturday, Rassie Erasmus’ team is nearly guaranteed to stay at the top of the rankings, sitting 4.49 points clear of Ireland.
Although the rankings have yet to be officially updated just yet by World Rugby, Erasmus took to social media on Sunday to comment on a predicted rankings post which showed how far ahead the Springboks were.
“Not sure how accurate this is, but surely not much between the teams, as we saw on Saturday!” he commented to highlight his view that perhaps the current rankings are actually rather flattering to South Africa.
RASSIE ERASMUS EXPECTING A BACKLASH FROM IRELAND IN DURBAN
Saturday’s win was South Africa’s first in four attempts since 2016 against Ireland. The second Test takes place at Kings Park on Saturday (kick-off 17:00).
“You see, they’re a team that’s played together in the Six Nations and we haven’t been together for a long time,” Erasmus said after the match on Saturday.
“There were some brilliant moments and there also was some awful moments, with the latter being something we can work on.
“They’ll come out firing to draw the series next week, but the last two games between us and them have been three and five points.
“To beat them with seven points was a relief because they’ve been a team we’ve struggled against in the past six years.”
ALL THE WEEKEND’S FIXTURES AND RESULTS
FRIDAY, 5 JULY
Samoa 33-25 Italy
Georgia 12-21 Fiji
SATURDAY, 6 JULY
USA 20-22 Romania
New Zealand 16-15 England
Japan 26-14 Maori All Blacks
Australia 25-16 Wales
South Africa 27-20 Ireland
Argentina 13-28 France
Chile 22-17 Hong Kong
Canada 12-73 Scotland
LATEST WORLD RUGBY RANKINGS
| Rank | Country | Points |
| 1 | South Africa | 94.86 |
| 2 | Ireland | 90.37 |
| 3 | New Zealand | 90.12 |
| 4 | France | 88.49 |
| 5 | England | 85.66 |
| 6 | Scotland | 82.82 |
| 7 | Argentina | 80.10 |
| 8 | Australia | 78.15 |
| 9 | Italy | 77.99 |
| 10 | Fiji | 77.44 |
| 11 | Wales | 76.58 |
| 12 | Japan | 74.04 |
READ MORE :
Fans Slam South Africa Stadium Announcer For ‘Disrespect’ During Craig Casey Injury
South Africa drew first blood in their Test series with Ireland with a well-earned 27-20 win on home soil in a back-and-forth encounter.
The rivalry between the two nations is at an all-time high, with Ireland getting the better of the Springboks at the Rugby World Cup last year although it was South Africa who went on to win that tournament.
The hosts made a ferocious start to the contest, Kurt-Lee Arendse getting in over the whitewash early but Ireland showed resolve to trail within reach at the break.
South Africa ultimately forged clear in the second-half, with Ireland’s pack struggling against physical opposition on a mixed day for those in green shirts.
Ireland’s standout back was scrum-half Craig Casey – who excelled on just his fourth ever Test start for his country.
The diminutive Munster man thrived, despite the pressure put on his side at the breakdown, before being stretchered off the field after a collision with former clubmate RG Snyman.
The hit from the 6’9″ lock, although not blatantly cynical, caused Casey’s head to bounce off the pitch and he was subsequently treated by the Irish medical team amid concerning scenes.
While there was debate on social media over whether Snyman’s hit should have been penalised, fans were fairly unanimous in their disapproval of the stadium DJ’s decision to play music as Casey lay prone on the pitch.
Fans slam South Africa PA operator for ‘disrespect’ during Craig Casey injury scenes
Farrell expanded on Casey’s serious injury setback after the game, admitting that the player was ‘not quite himself’ after the game.
He’s concussed,” Farrell said.
“He was still on the trolley when I came in at the end so obviously it was concerning enough but he was up and walking around, not quite himself yet but he’s up and about and wondering what’s going on.
Farrell also lamented a couple of key decision from the TMO, while suggesting that people can make their ‘own decision on the Craig thing’ as he reflected on the officiating.
