The takes have been flying on social media, following Ireland's rugby World Cup win over South Africa last Saturday.
Brian O'Driscoll has taken heat for criticism of Jean Kleyn in recent days, Rassie Erasmus has been criticised for his goal-kicking tactics, and the game-deciding decision has been mulled over to death etc., etc..
Out of left field has arrived Stephen Donald - the former All Black out-half who was called up to the squad during the 2011 World Cup before kicking them to victory in final - with a very questionable opinion on the motives of South Africa.
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Stephen Donald's Ireland v South Africa Rugby World Cup Comments
Speaking on New Zealand's Senz Radio, he suggested that South Africa purposely lost in order to avoid playing the All Blacks in the quarter-final.
Deep down, would you ever put it past the South Africans to go, ‘Do we want the All Blacks in a quarter-final? I think we take this route.
It was a brutal old thing, wasn’t it? It was everything you’d hope for in a game… it could’ve been the final, it was that sort of intensity and that sort of quality.
READ HERE: Bernard Jackman Explains Why Ireland Shouldn't Panic After New Zealand Drub Italy
Twitter Reacts To Ridiculous Donald Take On Ireland - South Africa Rugby World Cup Game
Sure bud
— Radioraps (Rikus de Beer) (@RadioRaps) September 28, 2023
I am not buying this nonsense.
Same time I have a very bad feeling about NZL.
— Rágnár Ván Töndérsön (@Slipcatch) September 28, 2023
Insulting to both Ireland and South Africa!
— David McGovern (@daveo_irl) September 28, 2023
Imagine a coach telling players that they’re going to throw the game (why would you engage in such a brutal game of physicality while hoping to lose?) because you don’t trust them to beat a time that they hammered recently?
Such nonsense. https://t.co/0ttXhsAaUo
— Jonny Holland (@jonnyholland10) September 28, 2023
Quite the opposite Beaver we would love to have avoided France 😂
— Brent Graham (@BrentGraham) September 28, 2023
READ HERE: Former All Black Wing Has Doubts On Ireland-South Africa Final Rematch
The fact that South Africa played a full-strength side, the unrivalled intensity of the game, and given that they recently slaughtered the All Blacks, to say that they would rather the home nation in a packed out Stade de France is bizarre to say the least.
“But for me, and I’m looking at it through my All Black rose tinted glasses, if you’re the All Blacks, you’re sitting back and watching that, you disrupt the Irish set-piece and therefore you win that first contact and that first phase, I don’t know what Ireland’s got to go to,” added Donald.
“You watch that first half where a South African lineout absolutely destroyed the Irish, they couldn’t get any of their game going.
“Yes Bundee Aki was brilliant in the midfield – I can’t believe that Bundee Aki will have that sort of freedom against anyone else now.”
READ HERE: Chris Ashton Thinks World Cup Drubbing Is Worrying Sign For Italy's Six Nations Status
His opinion on Aki also warrants scrutiny.
Such were the quality of Aki's performances against Romania and Tonga, and given that South Africa have an incredibly suffocating and quick defensive line, it is doubtful that the Springboks sagged off him in defence, and that he will have less room against an All Black side that he had few issues with last summer.
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