Springboks ! I was not expecting them to be that good in 2024 for they usually fall asleep between WCs. And they confirmed their title was deserved, because boy was that WC win lucky ! To be confirmed in 2025 because a lot of teams have widely renewed their squad. Can't wait for the Eden Park clash. and maybe a visit in France in the autumn ?
What people never take into account when talking about that All Black team comparing against this Springbok team is that the springboks won the same amount of world cups in those time spans but with 1 less year of practice and game fitness than the AB’s due to covid and SA not playing for a whole year because of it
The Springboks are the biggest tin arse merchants in rugby with an ugly brand of rugby. Everyone knows this. There's a reason your average american sports fan knows who the All Blacks are but wouldn't have a clue about the Springboks. Two tries from four world cup finals may explain.
@@JaemanEdwards wow you might want to get some aloe Vera for your butthurt little bro. Are you telling me SA’s rugby that they play nowadays are boring? If so when’s the last time you watched rugby? Most of their tries scored has been by backs? Maybe stop being so salty?
The frustration with this Irish fan at least, is that there appeared to be very little work done with Ireland over the autumn. It felt like management was/is focused on something else & tried to stick with secure/risk-averse game play & players. This absolutely pissed me off, even if they won, but it backfired spectacularly. It was also not helpful scheduling, which led to playing the ABs cold? That should have been a sackable offence alone tbh. The act of losing without taking any element of risk is lazy &/or low iQ &/or disaffected. The frustration is at the utter complacency of this period. Without knowing if there were any mitigating factors in the background, it leaves me a little disappointed with Andy Farrell, as brilliant as he is. The other elephants in the room are Neinerber & Cullen at Leinster. Have they been found out a little & did the Irfu depend on David Nucifora more than i already thought. Scotland will, therefore, become elevated very quickly with his input. I am hearing things already. I'm very proud of the Irish team and they have achieved more than i could ever have imagined as a child. It's a testament that we're talking as if we're a little frustrated, even though they are nr 2 & mostly winning. I'm also confident that their magic will return & that deep down, other teams know this & that they are here to stay.😅 20:31 Thanks to both of you for a great podcast. Apols for my onetime rant, but i said it now lol. I wish you a very happy Christmas & all else who come here!
That's pretty debatable...It depends on what metrics you use to determine great...The URC for example attracts more spectators on average per match as well as bigger TV audiences per game..More variety too with 5 countries participating..Also more diversity in different styles whereas Top 14 teams all pretty similar..The Top 2 ranked countries in the World draw their players mostly from the URC so I could argue that Standards very comparable to Top 14 ..Just saying.
scary thing about south africa is there is more talent out there that rivals colby and arendse, so mutch undescoverd talent in this country is insane but that is what you get in a 3ed wordl country.
No way Ireland claim the best team in the world Question WHAT HAVE WON?? Australia and England yes these records of the higher tournaments game winning am not sure what’s happening in Ireland but am not to be part of that delusional.🇿🇦🇳🇿🏴🇦🇺
Are you all serious when comparing 2011-15 ABs in the 2019-23 Springboks ? OK they both won back to back WCs and are very good, but beyond these facts, where is the global domination with the Boks for the last 5 years ? Even the last WC, they managed to win it but I'm not sure they know themselves how they did it. They are hard to beat, haven't stolen it from anyone but were extremely lucky 3 games in a row ? How is that domination ? AB won 2 WCs in a row (with no pool defeat) and were easy in almost all the games bar the 2011 final. And above all, in between, they were so good ! In 2024, everyone was surprised to have seen the boks that good, which kind of confirm they were not dominant before. 2 very good teams, but no comparison possible at team level. At player level, a few boks are probably better than their AB rival though.
In terms of how they dominated the sport, the 2010-2015 All Blacks stands a lone as the most dominant side ever produced in the history of the sport. During those five years, they maybe only lost 3 matches. Domination with a capital D. I think where the Boks claims come in though, is the fact that the standard of rugby has risen so much. Ten years ago, Northern Hemisphere rugby was kind of a joke. Since then, teams are much closer in terms of quality than ever before. Second point: the All Blacks were doing their dominance thing until 2017 when they drew the series against the Lions, out of the blue. Everyone was talking about the most one sided win for NZ and then they couldn't get the job done. From there, and a whole bunch of losses to Ireland later, and the era of dominance ended as soon as it began. The Boks though, yeah they won two world cups, but they aren't done yet. They are still in their cycle of greatness. Difference though is that they still have most of the players they achieved their greatness with.
The SA rugby team is winning despite testing new players. The AB team of 2011 to 2015, didn't have another 23 players. And no one is saying 2019 to 2023 is the best or on par, but it is the post 2023 SA team.
The 2019-2024 Boks (the spine of which came w/in 2 points in 2015 of beating NZ in a SF) are leading the world in an age of parity. 2015 ABs weren’t faced w that. Also, a composite team NOW is 8-7 SA or 8-7 NZ but BENCH (Marx-RG) is Bok
@@HaribaldiJones-d6d or you could see it the other way: ABs were much better in their time than everyone else while the boks today are - dare i say only - slightly above 3 other teams. It's not comparable. Great and impressive achievement but not (yet) comparable. Let's have them continue leasing the world for another 2 years to reopen sachant discussion
There is a part of many Wales and Scotland fans that would love nothing more than for Ireland to be the same as them and have a "golden generation" with nothing coming behind it. Thankfully that is not the case and the Irish setup is nothing like Wales or Scotland.
Wait, where is the Scottish ‘golden generation’ supposed to be? The Scottish team is all different ages. The only commonality is that the average age is way lower than Ireland, but that’s true of most countries.
@@Zveebo The Scottish golden generation is supposed to be now. It's not about average age of a squad, don't pretend to be/be dumb. I was referred to our learned host who trotted out the old "Oh we in Wales know what it's like after the golden generation" etc., I hear this a lot from Wales fans. A lot of them are waiting for Ireland to fall off a cliff like them, they will be disappointed. Ireland's rugby resources are in a different category to Wales.
@ That makes no sense, they’re all drastically different ages. They’re not a ‘generation’. Some will retire in 2 or 3 years, most have anything from 5-10 years playing left. Good luck to Ireland in the Six Nations. Anything less than a grad slam will be a big disappointment based on what you say - you should be walking it with the vast resources at your disposal.
@@Camcolito You make no sense. The reason Ireland’s team is sometimes referred to as a generation is because the team is old, and a whole bunch of them are almost certain to retire in the next two or three years. It just doesn’t make any sense to apply that to a team where none of that applies. Anyway, you are obviously totally confident that Ireland will walk a Grand Slam, so why get so hot and bothered about the whole thing?
What have SA really done this year besides narrowly beating NZ at home? I can't figure out what all the hype is about. Not in the same stratosphere as 2011-15 ABs, only reason this is discussed is for clicks.
@@Camcolito They beat you twice. You sound bitter. They also won two world cups in a row AWAY from home, without cheating, unlike the AB's of 2011 who played at home and still had to buy refs in order to win. They also won a B&I Lions tour, something the AB's of 2011-2015 could not do. There you go, now you know.
@@Camcolito Well then.... THIS year the Boks played without Lood, Kleyn, Faf, Duanne, Kitschoff, Willemse, Mostert (for the most part). Stop crying. The AB's are not the only team that had players out with injury. Arendse, SFM etc also were out injured for part of the year.
Which team surprised you most in 2024? 📅
Wallabies
Argentina
Argentina and Wallabies.
Wales for the opposite reason.
Argentina and Wallabies, agree ^, but I don't think any team really stood out that much this year.
Springboks ! I was not expecting them to be that good in 2024 for they usually fall asleep between WCs. And they confirmed their title was deserved, because boy was that WC win lucky !
To be confirmed in 2025 because a lot of teams have widely renewed their squad. Can't wait for the Eden Park clash. and maybe a visit in France in the autumn ?
Love Harry's knowledge if rugby and it's players and coaches. Excellent show.😊!
thanks!
thanks
What people never take into account when talking about that All Black team comparing against this Springbok team is that the springboks won the same amount of world cups in those time spans but with 1 less year of practice and game fitness than the AB’s due to covid and SA not playing for a whole year because of it
The Springboks are the biggest tin arse merchants in rugby with an ugly brand of rugby.
Everyone knows this. There's a reason your average american sports fan knows who the All Blacks are but wouldn't have a clue about the Springboks. Two tries from four world cup finals may explain.
@@JaemanEdwards wow you might want to get some aloe Vera for your butthurt little bro. Are you telling me SA’s rugby that they play nowadays are boring? If so when’s the last time you watched rugby? Most of their tries scored has been by backs? Maybe stop being so salty?
Kwagga is small for a forward and look at his impact when he comes on.
The frustration with this Irish fan at least, is that there appeared to be very little work done with Ireland over the autumn. It felt like management was/is focused on something else & tried to stick with secure/risk-averse game play & players. This absolutely pissed me off, even if they won, but it backfired spectacularly. It was also not helpful scheduling, which led to playing the ABs cold? That should have been a sackable offence alone tbh. The act of losing without taking any element of risk is lazy &/or low iQ &/or disaffected. The frustration is at the utter complacency of this period. Without knowing if there were any mitigating factors in the background, it leaves me a little disappointed with Andy Farrell, as brilliant as he is. The other elephants in the room are Neinerber & Cullen at Leinster. Have they been found out a little & did the Irfu depend on David Nucifora more than i already thought. Scotland will, therefore, become elevated very quickly with his input. I am hearing things already. I'm very proud of the Irish team and they have achieved more than i could ever have imagined as a child. It's a testament that we're talking as if we're a little frustrated, even though they are nr 2 & mostly winning. I'm also confident that their magic will return & that deep down, other teams know this & that they are here to stay.😅 20:31 Thanks to both of you for a great podcast. Apols for my onetime rant, but i said it now lol. I wish you a very happy Christmas & all else who come here!
Have to say as a Dublin city resident I missed the the revenge signs.
As an Ireland fan, the mood felt more like it didn't really matter.
Maybe one day Ireland will overcome the big Choke ……….maybe ! 😮😊
I literally have and posted 6 giant posters
Good show, but host too distracted, causes too much distraction in viewing. Better prep can help.
the french Top14 is just wooow!! the greatest tournament in the world without any doubt...
That's pretty debatable...It depends on what metrics you use to determine great...The URC for example attracts more spectators on average per match as well as bigger TV audiences per game..More variety too with 5 countries participating..Also more diversity in different styles whereas Top 14 teams all pretty similar..The Top 2 ranked countries in the World draw their players mostly from the URC so I could argue that Standards very comparable to Top 14 ..Just saying.
scary thing about south africa is there is more talent out there that rivals colby and arendse, so mutch undescoverd talent in this country is insane but that is what you get in a 3ed wordl country.
South Africa rugby is awesome, we have few sour grapes comments, must be an England supporter
Era is not pronounced error
Ireland win not a Cup but still no1 what a foolish chat
No way Ireland claim the best team in the world Question WHAT HAVE WON?? Australia and England yes these records of the higher tournaments game winning am not sure what’s happening in Ireland but am not to be part of that delusional.🇿🇦🇳🇿🏴🇦🇺
Wtf are you talking about?
Ireland the only country to beat the world champions springboks twice in 9 months and one was in Durban Sth Africa.
Are you all serious when comparing 2011-15 ABs in the 2019-23 Springboks ? OK they both won back to back WCs and are very good, but beyond these facts, where is the global domination with the Boks for the last 5 years ? Even the last WC, they managed to win it but I'm not sure they know themselves how they did it. They are hard to beat, haven't stolen it from anyone but were extremely lucky 3 games in a row ? How is that domination ?
AB won 2 WCs in a row (with no pool defeat) and were easy in almost all the games bar the 2011 final. And above all, in between, they were so good ! In 2024, everyone was surprised to have seen the boks that good, which kind of confirm they were not dominant before.
2 very good teams, but no comparison possible at team level. At player level, a few boks are probably better than their AB rival though.
In terms of how they dominated the sport, the 2010-2015 All Blacks stands a lone as the most dominant side ever produced in the history of the sport. During those five years, they maybe only lost 3 matches. Domination with a capital D.
I think where the Boks claims come in though, is the fact that the standard of rugby has risen so much. Ten years ago, Northern Hemisphere rugby was kind of a joke. Since then, teams are much closer in terms of quality than ever before.
Second point: the All Blacks were doing their dominance thing until 2017 when they drew the series against the Lions, out of the blue. Everyone was talking about the most one sided win for NZ and then they couldn't get the job done. From there, and a whole bunch of losses to Ireland later, and the era of dominance ended as soon as it began.
The Boks though, yeah they won two world cups, but they aren't done yet. They are still in their cycle of greatness. Difference though is that they still have most of the players they achieved their greatness with.
The SA rugby team is winning despite testing new players. The AB team of 2011 to 2015, didn't have another 23 players. And no one is saying 2019 to 2023 is the best or on par, but it is the post 2023 SA team.
The 2019-2024 Boks (the spine of which came w/in 2 points in 2015 of beating NZ in a SF) are leading the world in an age of parity. 2015 ABs weren’t faced w that. Also, a composite team NOW is 8-7 SA or 8-7 NZ but BENCH (Marx-RG) is Bok
@@HaribaldiJones-d6d or you could see it the other way: ABs were much better in their time than everyone else while the boks today are - dare i say only - slightly above 3 other teams.
It's not comparable. Great and impressive achievement but not (yet) comparable. Let's have them continue leasing the world for another 2 years to reopen sachant discussion
@ nah, Ireland got a lot better and so did France
Meow
There is a part of many Wales and Scotland fans that would love nothing more than for Ireland to be the same as them and have a "golden generation" with nothing coming behind it. Thankfully that is not the case and the Irish setup is nothing like Wales or Scotland.
Wait, where is the Scottish ‘golden generation’ supposed to be? The Scottish team is all different ages. The only commonality is that the average age is way lower than Ireland, but that’s true of most countries.
@@Zveebo The Scottish golden generation is supposed to be now. It's not about average age of a squad, don't pretend to be/be dumb. I was referred to our learned host who trotted out the old "Oh we in Wales know what it's like after the golden generation" etc., I hear this a lot from Wales fans. A lot of them are waiting for Ireland to fall off a cliff like them, they will be disappointed. Ireland's rugby resources are in a different category to Wales.
@ That makes no sense, they’re all drastically different ages. They’re not a ‘generation’. Some will retire in 2 or 3 years, most have anything from 5-10 years playing left.
Good luck to Ireland in the Six Nations. Anything less than a grad slam will be a big disappointment based on what you say - you should be walking it with the vast resources at your disposal.
@@Zveebo It makes perfect sense, stop pretending not to know what a commonly used phrase means, it's just silly.
@@Camcolito You make no sense. The reason Ireland’s team is sometimes referred to as a generation is because the team is old, and a whole bunch of them are almost certain to retire in the next two or three years.
It just doesn’t make any sense to apply that to a team where none of that applies.
Anyway, you are obviously totally confident that Ireland will walk a Grand Slam, so why get so hot and bothered about the whole thing?
I hate watch England in every sport 😂
we all do, we all do.
😂😂😂@HuwGriffinRugby
What have SA really done this year besides narrowly beating NZ at home? I can't figure out what all the hype is about. Not in the same stratosphere as 2011-15 ABs, only reason this is discussed is for clicks.
They used 51 players sacrificing cohesion.
@@NevilleMiddleton-u9b So they won the sacrificing cohesion cup? Picking the team is on them, you can only have 15 playing at a time.
@@Camcolito They beat you twice. You sound bitter. They also won two world cups in a row AWAY from home, without cheating, unlike the AB's of 2011 who played at home and still had to buy refs in order to win. They also won a B&I Lions tour, something the AB's of 2011-2015 could not do. There you go, now you know.
@@Alias-gy3tz 1-1 with us this year, and half our team was injured. We're talking about this year, not continuing credit from last year.
@@Camcolito Well then.... THIS year the Boks played without Lood, Kleyn, Faf, Duanne, Kitschoff, Willemse, Mostert (for the most part). Stop crying. The AB's are not the only team that had players out with injury. Arendse, SFM etc also were out injured for part of the year.