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RugbyLAD Team

Latest posts by RugbyLAD Team (see all)

• Munster head coach Clayton McMillan issues update on Jack Crowley injury - September 16, 2026
• Former Ireland international Sean O’Brien handed lengthy ban - September 15, 2026
• Steve Hansen tears into ‘ludicrous’ Springboks vs All Blacks incident - September 15, 2026

Thank you.

Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus is no doubt a happy man after securing his first victory against Ireland in Dublin on Saturday.

It was one of the few boxes the legendary coach had to tick, having won two World Cups, a Lions series, multiple Rugby Championships, and beaten all the top nations both at home and away.

After the win, Rassie was spotted giving the ‘thumbs up’ to the crowd inside the stadium, with many believing this was a cheeky message to the very vocal Irish crowd on the night.

But Rassie has cleared things up…

“There were South Africans sitting in front of us saying, ‘Thank you’,” Erasmus said.

“The coaches’ box, I remember when I coached Munster here, the box is soundproof, you can’t really get the vibe of what is going on. On the field, you get it through the referee’s mic more or less.

“This is a special stadium. The crowd is special. They have got manners when the kicker kicks. I love the way pre-match of the military band; I am glad they have RG (Snyman) a bit of a welcoming when he ran onto the field.

“It [the thumbs up] was a thank you to our people, and we have respect for the way Irish people support their team because it was 19 games on the trot that they have won here, so for our guys, thank you for the support.”