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Former Springboks hooker Schalk Brits has predicted that Ireland will flop at the Rugby World Cup in France in a little over three months time.
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Speaking on the RugbyPass Offload Podcast, Brits predicted a gloomly campaign for Andy Farrell’s world no.1s, despite the world beating Test record over the last two seasons.
“Ireland specifically, it’s a bit weird. They’ve never performed in a World Cup and I hope, from our perspective (Springboks’) they keep it there, until they prove it different. They’ve always been great between World Cups, but when the World Cup comes… have they made a quarterfinal, or past a quarter final?
“Unfortunately, that’s a belief that is hard to change within a group. If we take Saracens, I mean, how many finals did we lose in? Eventually then win one, then the belief grows and even in the tight exchanges, you believe, you can win, and sometime that’s just the difference.”
When asked was he ‘basically writing Ireland off’ for the World Cup, he replied “I did not say that!”
“I hope Ireland and South Africa go through to the semis,” before joking: “They going to be going home quite quickly. They’ll have the bus booked for after the pool stages!
Later in the segment, when asked to give his predictions, Brits said “Ireland will come up short under pressure”, predicting South Africa or France were going to win it.
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When co-anchor Max Lahiff predicted that Ireland would ‘flop’, Brits doubled-down on his dire forecast for the Irish, saying ‘I agree. They’re the No.1 team in the world. They’ve won everything at the Six Nations and that’s the other part that will be hard for them, to manage the pressure of being the favourites going into the World Cup, or number 1 or two.
“That is extremely hard to manage that. That is a different kettle of fish.”
So want Ireland to win it as everyone is simply just writing them off as if they're just not good enough, and yet other teams are that much...beyond them currently? Seriously?
It's a nonsense argument from Brits anyway. If a team has to lose a final before they can win one, then France should have about 3 RWCs already.
I think Ireland do have the self belief to win it. Beating NZ 2-1 at home then the 6 nations. Pretty impressive.
South Africans are incapable of understanding the linearity of history. The fact that they were a better side than Ireland in the 20th century is taken as incontrovertible proof that they'll win every time they play - never mind the abundant evidence to the contrary.
South Africa are in for a shock against Scotland. They'll probably beat Scotland, but it'll be much closer than they expect and it will be all downhill from there.