Rassie Erasmus weighs into ‘best in the world’ debate as New Zealand duo have their say

Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus has discussed the comments made by some observers that they are not the best team in the game.

That is despite winning their fourth Rugby World Cup – and second in a row – in October last year following a 12-11 triumph over the All Blacks.

South Africa once again demonstrated their tournament credentials by claiming three successive one-point victories during the knockout stages over France, England and New Zealand.

Ireland’s form

However, they have not been consistent between World Cups, with Ireland the form side heading into the 2023 tournament.

Andy Farrell’s men, despite being eliminated in the quarter-finals, have continued to excel outside the global tournament by dominating the start of the 2024 Six Nations.

They secured big victories over France, Wales and Italy to top the table, and although they narrowly succumbed to England at the weekend, a win over Scotland this Saturday will secure back-to-back titles.

The Boks have not played since the 2023 World Cup, but some still believe that they have been usurped by the Irishmen.

Erasmus, though, took the diplomatic route when he was asked about the comments made by some esteemed pundits.

“We try to stay in our own reality, which is the waarheid (truth), you know, sometimes we can have our own reality – and not also be as honest with ourselves – and to be much better or much worse than we are,” he said

“If other people think that England is the best or Ireland’s the best, it can’t make a difference with the way we prepare – the way we select our team, the way we operate – the way we represent this country and the love we have for the Springbok.

“So things like that, you hear it, but it’s not something we write down in a notebook and discuss later.”

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Backed by ex-All Black

The question will be answered more fully when the Springboks and Ireland go head-to-head in a two-Test series in July.

Erasmus admits that they needed to “rectify” their poor record against the Irish, having not tasted success in the fixture since 2016, but his side have been backed by ex-All Black James Parsons, who believes that they are the best around.

“I still think South Africa are the best team in the world. For one, you’re only as good as your last game, which was a World Cup final win, and they haven’t had an opportunity to present themselves,” Parsons told the Aotearoa Rugby Pod.

“When it matters, they stand up. Yes, their winning percentage through that World Cup cycle is lower than most, but they do probably test out their squad a lot more than other nations.

“Ireland are, as the All Blacks used to be, the most consistent currently in that time between World Cups.”

Former Crusaders scrum-half Bryn Hall agrees with Parsons and feels that South Africa’s back-to-back world titles put them out in front despite Ireland’s consistency.

Titles over win percentage

“If you want to look at the stats, 79 per cent is Ireland having the wood on South Africa, but whoever wins the World Cup is the best team in the world,” Hall said.

“There’s consistency and everything, and there were times when New Zealand were consistently the best team for a long period of time but didn’t get the World Cup wins.

“But South Africa have gone back-to-back. Yes, they don’t get it right in some parts during that four-year cycle. They rotate or they don’t get the results, but when it comes to the push and shove, they’re the two-time defending champions.

“For me, it’s South Africa, but if you’re going to go around percentages and in between World Cups, we’ve talked about Ireland and how consistent they are.

“The brand of footy they’ve been playing has been world leading, but coming into the big event they haven’t got the job done. I would go South Africa.”

READ MORE: All Blacks legend: England loss ‘proves’ that Ireland’s World Cup disappointment was ‘not a fluke’