Former Ireland hooker Bernard Jackman says the Springboks are comfortably the best team in world rugby.
Ireland head into Saturday’s clash after a mixed November campaign, only finding fluency in last weekend’s record 46-19 victory over Australia. But Jackman, who played nine Tests for Ireland, believes the Boks represent an entirely different challenge.
“I think it’s been underwhelming to be honest, until last Saturday,” Jackman told Rugby365. “We had a lot of players who played for the British & Irish Lions … they came back late, had one URC game, and then played the All Blacks. They were undercooked, and we saw that.”
MORE: Ireland banking on Nienaber know-how
However, Ireland’s dominant showing against Australia was encouraging, Jackman acknowledged.
“Scoring 46 points, six tries and a record winning margin … you must be happy with that. However, there were elements that weren’t pleasing ahead of what’s the hardest game of the Autumn against the Springboks.”
Jackman believes South Africa’s resilience during their tour – winning tough Tests against France and Italy despite controversial red cards to locks Lood de Jager and Franco Mostert – underlined their status as the sport’s premier force.
“Those victories, in hostile environments and under tough circumstances, were character-building,” he said. “The sharpness, the proactiveness, the mastermind brain of [Rassie] Erasmus … he was brave and made big calls.”
ALSO: ‘Boks have two teams that can beat anyone’
While Ireland looked more settled last week, Jackman stressed that the Springboks represent a far greater hurdle.
“To get a win would be magical, but that’s going to be incredibly difficult,” he admitted. “South Africa is clearly the best team in the world, and maybe 15 points better than everybody else.”
Photo: Jean Catuffe/Getty Images
The post ‘Boks 15 points better than anyone else’ appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.