Simon Zebo struggled to keep a straight face after ribbing Jamie Heaslip during RTE's Rugby World Cup coverage on Saturday.
After Virgin Media screened Ireland's 82-8 victory over Romania in Pool B, the national broadcaster had the rights for the Pool C opener between Australia and Georgia, with Zebo, Heaslip and Stephen Ferris on punditry duty for the evening.
Heaslip was the subject of much social media ridicule on Friday for a series of tweets in which he drew comparisons between the success of the Ireland rugby team and the Irish tech industry, and the reaction eventually led to the former Ireland number 8 turning his Twitter page private.
Simon Zebo mocks Jamie Heaslip on RTE
That couldn't stop Zebo having a go at him on TV, with the Corkman later mocking his ex-teammate for getting his prediction wrong ahead of a 35-15 win for Australia.
This all led to an awkward sign-off from host Jacqui Hurley before an ad break, when Zebo and Ferris could be seen holding back laughter while Heaslip's face indicated that he wasn't too pleased with the former Munster man.
Heaslip did crack a smile as Zebo eventually sent an apologetic wave his way, but given the history between the pair, the latter clearly enjoys poking fun at the ex-Leinster player.
Just the tail-end. pic.twitter.com/ssAYuVpxiu
— Daithí Ó (@hakaman) September 10, 2023
Zebo and Heaslip history
Back in February, Zebo posted a video of himself taking the mick out of Heaslip's accent, before doing it again a month later.
It all seemed to have been taking in good spirits in the end on Saturday though, with Heaslip resharing Hurley's Instagram story in which she said it was "an enjoyable day with the lads trolling each other."
Regardless, Heaslip could well be rolling his eyes when he checks the RTE roster for next week's games.
