There was a strange air about Friday night's Six Nations opener, as Ireland travelled to Marseille to face France in a mouthwatering fixture.
Though both sides were without the stars who have defined the past few seasons for them (Johnny Sexton in green, Antoine Dupont in blue), these two teams have established themselves as far and away the leading rugby nations in Europe in recent years. There was a widespread acceptance that the winner of Friday's game would go on to win the Grand Slam.
What made the game feel so strange is the lingering "what if?" sentiment both sides will have about last winter's World Cup.
Taking place on French soil, the World Cup felt primed for a European winner for the first time in 20 years, with both Ireland and France holding high hopes of going all the way. On one bitterly disappointing quarter-final weekend, however, those dreams came crashing down, with the All Blacks defeating Ireland the night before the Springboks turned over the hosts in Paris.
Many on this side of the world would have hoped to see Ireland and France play out the final on October 28th, with Irish hooker Rob Herring saying as much in his preview of last Friday's game for the BBC:
What a way to start the Six Nations. This is the World Cup final that everyone wanted, but never got.
It's really exciting. Ireland and France have been the best two sides in the world over the past number of years.
It appears those comments have not gone down well in South Africa, with legendary lock Eben Etzebeth joining a chorus of fans in questioning Herring's comments.
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Eben Etzebeth laughs off Rob Herring's World Cup final claim
23 September 2023; James Ryan of Ireland wins possession ahead of Eben Etzebeth of South Africa during the 2023 Rugby World Cup Pool B match between South Africa and Ireland at Stade de France in Paris, France. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
Etzebeth was arguably the standout Springbok on their run to World Cup glory in France last year, and he made his displeasure with Herring's remarks clear on social media.
RugbyPass shared a social graphic of the Herring comments on their Instagram page earlier this week, asking if the game on Friday "lived up to expectations." Safe to say, Etzebeth was not impressed at the insinuation that South Africa v New Zealand was not a worthy World Cup final.
The comments on the Instagram post are packed with South African fans with similar reactions to Etzebeth's, and Herring's suggestion on Ireland v France has also reached the Springbok fanbase on Twitter.
Ireland played South Africa in the pool stages of the World Cup and, though Andy Farrell's Irish side won out in Paris that evening, the Springboks would ultimately go on to claim the ultimate prize.
The weeks Ireland v the Springboks brought some bad blood, with the South African media criticising the performance of the match referee in the direct aftermath of the game. After Ireland's elimination from the tournament, Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus jokingly endorsed an attempt from the team's fans to snatch Ireland's unofficial World Cup anthem, 'Zombie' by the Cranberries.
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