Ireland great: Opponents are ‘dreading’ facing the Springboks who are ‘head and shoulders’ above the rest of the world
Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus and former Ireland wing Andrew Trimble.
Former Ireland wing Andrew Trimble insists that the Springboks have put a significant gap between them and the rest of the world.
South Africa are currently ranked number one in the World Rugby rankings but were briefly usurped by New Zealand during the Rugby Championship.
However, that changed when the Boks visited Wellington in September and hammered Scott Robertson’s men 43-10 to move back to the summit.
Since then, Rassie Erasmus’ team have retained the Rugby Championship title and started their five-Test November series with victories over Japan and France.
The latter was obviously the most impressive as they overcame Lood de Jager’s red card to defeat Les Bleus 32-17 in a repeat of the 2023 Rugby World Cup quarter-final.
Rugby’s standard-bearers
It was a result and performance which left Trimble mightily impressed, with the Irishman claiming that the Springboks are quite comfortably the standard-bearers in international rugby at the moment.
“I thought it was huge. I think the rest of the world are looking on just dreading the opportunity to play South Africa. Up until the weekend, I thought it was South Africa and France [who led the way], and then the rest of us,” he said on the Rivals podcast.
“It’s South Africa head and shoulders [above], and then it’s France and then I think the rest of us are a long way back. South Africa are just incredible – that was a statement performance, it was unbelievable.”
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While the Springboks continue to improve, the opposite is true of Trimble’s country, Ireland, who over the past 12 months have struggled to put together the type of performances their fans have come to expect.
After a disappointing Six Nations by their high standards, they began the end-of-year series with a 26-13 defeat to the All Blacks having been blown away in the final 20 minutes.
Ireland’s struggles
A week later they faced Japan, a game in which they hoped to find some form, but Andy Farrell’s men were once again underwhelming in the 41-10 win.
They have the Wallabies next up, a match Trimble thinks they should emerge triumphant in, before they take on the mighty South Africa in their final contest of the year.
“I think Farrell’s nervous. I think Farrell expected it would be a little bit rusty in that first game in Chicago, but he probably thought a couple of games into it that Japan would be a way of getting the momentum back, the feel-good back, but it was a little bit disjointed,” the ex-Ulster wing added.
“Luckily for Ireland, Australia are just not quite there. They look a little bit tired, one or two guys are unavailable and injured and they have to go into their depth.”