Springboks: Sam Warburton backtracks on Ireland claim after copping ‘awful flak’

Former Wales captain Sam Warburton has backtracked on his claim that Ireland are the best team in the world after copping ‘awful flak’ from Springboks’ fans.

The legendary flanker made the claim in February this year during Ireland’s Six Nations campaign with his comments dug up again ahead of the series in South Africa.

Warburton backtracks

“South African fans will hate me for saying this, but I still think they [Ireland] are the best team in the world. I’ve just never seen a team that’s that complete,” Warburton said on the BBC Rugby Union Daily podcast.

Former Springboks captain Victor Matfield addressed the ex-Lions captain’s comments ahead of the series between the two best teams in the world.

“I don’t think he has (Warburton) made a final, no, he hasn’t made a World Cup final. He hasn’t made a semi-final of a World Cup. Now you want to tell everyone that Ireland, who hasn’t made a semi-final in a World Cup, is the best team in the world when South Africa has won back-to-back,” Matfield said on Supersport’s Final Whistle.

“He must live in his own world.”

Following the drawn series between the Springboks and Ireland, Warburton has conceded that he was ‘wrong’ and backtracked on the remarks he made earlier this year.

“What is more difficult at the moment, winning in New Zealand or winning in South Africa? That was a question posed to me before last weekend’s round of internationals and I said then that I thought it was harder to win in South Africa given the state of play in international rugby, so for Ireland to win that second Test last weekend was a monumental achievement,” Warburton wrote in his Times column.

“But that does not make Ireland the No 1 team in the world. I copped some awful flak for saying that this year, with the South African fans piling into me.

“They are so protective of their team, which I actually really like, but they have to remember that it was only my opinion and nothing else. I wasn’t trying to rewrite history and hand the World Cup to Ireland.”

He added: “South Africa are the best team in the world. There, I’ve said it. I stand corrected. It is in the highest pressure games that you have to deliver and to be fair to South Africa they have done that. Losing that Test last Saturday has not changed the world order.”

Ireland are number two

South Africa defeated Ireland in the opening Test match in Pretoria but fell to a narrow defeat in the second game in Durban thanks to two late drop goals from Ciaran Frawley.

While Warburton conceded that South Africa are the best team in the world now, he did reserve praise for Andy Farrell’s side’s “massive statement” victory and are worthy world number twos.

“That victory was still a massive statement from Ireland and it can now be an important step for them in achieving their goal of being world champions in three years’ time,” he wrote.

“I still think that a player like Joe McCarthy, the Leinster lock, has helped to revolutionise them from a physicality perspective and Robbie Henshaw, also of Leinster, has really stepped up in that regard at centre.

“Ireland did mention that they needed to improve their physicality in that second Test and I thought they did that. Their scrummage struggled a bit, but I thought in general they were excellent. They certainly deserve their place at second in the world rankings.”