Rugby World Cup: Ex-All Black Has Doubts On Ireland-South Africa Final | Balls.ie

On paper, Ireland v South Africa looked to be the standout game of the Rugby World Cup group stages, and it did not disappoint.

Saturday night's clash of the world's number one ranked team and the defending World Cup champions in Saint-Denis was a gripping and brutal affair, with Ireland backing up their #1 status with a 13-8 triumph at the Stade de France.

Despite a series win in New Zealand last year, and a Grand Slam win in this year's Six Nations, this was the first major test of Ireland's mettle in a competitive test match - and a major test of whether they can overcome their Rugby World Cup curse in 2023.

Their victory over South Africa means they are now likely to be reunited with the All Blacks in a mouthwatering quarter-final - and more than a few punters have predicted that, should Ireland come out the other side of that last eight meeting unscathed, we could see a repeat of their game against the Boks in next month's final.

Speaking on Sky Sport NZ, 1995 Rugby World Cup finalist Jeff Wilson threw cold water on such predictions, saying that he believes that New Zealand still have it in them to halt any potential Irish march to a first final.

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Rugby World Cup: 1995 finalist thinks All Blacks can stop Ireland v South Africa final rematch

Jeff Wilson lined out for the All Blacks in two consecutive World Cups in the 1990s, starting the 1995 final on the wing against South Africa in Johannesburg.

He has appeared as a pundit on Sky Sport NZ's coverage of this Rugby World Cup. In the aftermath of Saturday's thriller in Paris, Wilson was asked whether he saw Ireland v South Africa as the most likely final of this tournament.

Wilson said that he had faith in the current All Blacks to cause what would be an upset in the quarter-finals, saying that he felt Ireland v South Africa had been nothing but a "positioning game":

No, because we're not in it. When it comes to a situation when it is a knockout game...pressure changes the whole context of everything.

Don't get me wrong, this was a great contest, and we saw plenty of it...but I think it gives you an idea of what it is going to take to win a Rugby World Cup.

Both of these two teams went into this game and they turned down points, and I can't see that happening when you get to a genuine knockout game. This was a positioning game, all this was.

New Zealand suffered a heavy defeat to the Springboks in August's World Cup warmup game at Twickenham - a game now infamous as the debut of the 7-1 bench split.

Given the All Blacks' last meeting with Ireland also ended in defeat - a first ever three-game test series defeat to a Northern Hemisphere team on home soil - they will not enter any quarter-final as resounding favourites as they have in previous tournaments.

Nonetheless, Wilson believes that the memory of last year's series defeat to Ireland may rile up the All Blacks, should the two teams meet again in the quarter-finals:

I think, for both teams, they'll look at it and think, 'we didn't play our best game.' That was the indication of what a knockout game is probably going to be like. That's the sort of intensity, that's how hard it's going to be to score tries.

What it comes down to now...the All Blacks are going to take on Ireland. This is a grudge match - the All Blacks have got a couple of games to get through - but this is a grudge match. Remember what happened last year when they came down to New Zealand...it's a remarkable stage now that's been set.

I wonder if the Springboks now...aren't too unhappy about playing the French, most likely without Antoine Dupont.

After a break week, New Zealand return to Rugby World Cup action on Friday night against Italy in Lyon. Ireland, meanwhile, have another week to wait for their final group game, against Scotland in Paris on Saturday week.