Springboks veteran Eben Etzebeth against Ireland.
Springboks centurion Eben Etzebeth felt that Ireland’s overconfidence in the Rugby World Cup ultimately cost the side on the game’s biggest stage.
Etzebeth was one of the Springboks who ran out against Ireland in the pool stage in a gruelling clash won 13-8 by the northern side effectively earning them top spot in the group.
Due to the lopsided nature of the pool stage, the top two sides in pool B would face New Zealand and France in the quarter-finals both of which were tricky matchups especially considering Les Bleus were tournament hosts.
Speaking to Jim Hamilton on The Rugby Pod the legendary lock revealed a moment after the Ireland game where he was taken aback by what was said by several members of Andy Farrell’s side.
“After the game, you shake the guys’ hands and probably 12 out of the 23 told me, ‘See you guys in the final’,” Etzebeth said.
“My immediate thought was because of the way the logs worked, we were going to play France and they were going to play New Zealand.
“My immediate thought was, ‘Are these guys seriously not even thinking about the All Blacks in a World Cup quarter-final, playing against them?’
“That remark that they made – ‘see you guys in the final’. I just thought these guys were making a big mistake to look past probably the most dominant team in the last 20 to 30 years of Test rugby. Surely, they can’t.
“We would never say that because we knew we’ve got the host nation and we were going to have to pitch up to beat France in their backyard.
“It just felt like they were just so confident saying things like that when you know you got the mighty All Blacks coming up in a World Cup quarter-final.
“I think Frans Malherbe was with me and I said, ‘I don’t know if these guys are riding a bit high’,” Etzebeth added. “Obviously, it is good to be confident, but you can never be arrogant in this game.
“You can have the best season and you can have one slip-up or one missed tackle and a guy puts you on your arse.
“That’s the beauty of this game, you are never on top forever.”
The ball would ultimately not bounce the way of Ireland who ended up being knocked out by the All Blacks in the quarter-final which meant the country is still yet to reach a World Cup semi-final.
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Ireland continued their journey under Farrell in 2024 emphatically winning the Six Nations which led to a debate as to who is actually the world’s best side despite the Springboks still being at the top of the rankings.
Luckily, the rugby world does not need to wait too long for the debate to be settled as Ireland travels to South Africa for an intriguing two-Test series in July.
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