Ex-Ireland star accuses Damian Willemse of ‘Donald Trump-ish rhetoric’ and predicts ‘a moment of desperation’ will settle Springboks showdown
Damian Willemse in action for the Springboks last weekend in Turin and, inset, ex-Ireland player Gordon D'Arcy.
Former Ireland midfielder Gordon D’Arcy has accused Springboks full-back Damian Willemse of setting a Donald Trump-like narrative in the run-up to this Saturday’s blockbuster Autumn Nations Series clash.
Rassie Erasmus’ South Africa have arrived in Dublin looking to win at Aviva Stadium for the first time since 2012, and the tourists have been accused of trying to control the narrative in a similar way to how the USA president allegedly invents a slight when none exists.
While the Springboks have won back-to-back Rugby World Cups and Rugby Championships, they have won just one of their last five encounters with the Irish.
That success came in the 2024 series opener in Pretoria, but Ireland, who won fixtures in Dublin in 2017 and 2022, as well as the 2023 World Cup pool match in Paris, levelled that series with a win in Durban the following weekend.
“Seeking out a slight where none existed…”
Sixteen months on from that last encounter, the teams are set to lock horns again, with Ireland having shaken off some shaky November form with last Saturday’s record win over the Wallabies and the Springboks three wins from three so far on their European tour.
The stage is set for an intriguing match, and some fuel has now been added to the fire by D’Arcy, who was Brian O’Driscoll’s sidekick in the midfield when Ireland won the 2009 Six Nations Grand Slam.
Writing in his midweek Irish Times column, he touched on what Boks regular Willemse had to say following last weekend’s success away to Italy in Turin.
“Full-back Damian Willemse tried to suggest in the aftermath of the win over Italy that the Springboks felt disrespected by the suggestion they had fielded a weakened team,” D’Arcy suggested.
“The rhetoric felt a little Donald Trump-ish, trying to control the narrative. Perhaps he was looking to take a leaf out of the Michael Jordan playbook, in seeking out a slight where none existed.
“Even with all of South Africa’s success, Ireland still occupy a little bit of headspace in the Springbok psyche. Saturday’s visitors to the Aviva Stadium want to win this game, badly.
“The heavily rotated team against Italy, and the poor run of results in Ireland, have left their imprint and Erasmus is going to lean into that emotional energy this week.”
While D’Arcy believes words will matter greatly in the lead-up to Saturday, he predicted that the outcome of the match will ultimately hinge on a moment of desperation.
“The Springboks have a clear physical dominance over every team in the world, including Ireland, which gives them an advantage in the set piece and in wearing down teams to put them away in the final quarter of a game.
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“Words will carry weight this week. Two head coaches, natural leaders that know and understand their players, intimately, who embrace loyalty and tough decisions in the same breath. They demand the loftiest of standards and accept nothing less.
“It will not be a training ground move that decides this match. It will be a moment of desperation, where a player works harder to get set early in attack or defence, creating or stopping a score. That is borne of a mindset, of an attitude and that is where victory will be found on Saturday.”
D’Arcy described Andy Farrell’s Ireland as a very different team in hammering Australia compared to the inconsistencies visible in the series-opening loss to the All Blacks in Chicago and then in the humdrum win over Japan in Dublin.
“They looked a vastly different team, in no short part due to a functioning set-piece which is the bedrock of starter plays. The knock-on effect is marginally quicker rucks, more space and time to play, kicking on the front foot, and being able to better control territory and possession…
“The attack sheet will not change much this week aside from a wrinkle or two, so it comes down to the mental preparation and how much belief the win over Australia generated.”
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