New Springbok defense coach Gerry Flannery has revealed he believes he can learn Afrikaans within a year as he accepts his new role with South Africa's national team, with his first assignment facing Ireland. .
Flannery worked with Rassie Erasmus and Jack Nienaber at Munster many years ago and has now been replaced as Springbok defense coach as part of a coaching shuffle ahead of the next Rugby World Cup cycle.
against his home country
The former hooker is not the first Irishman to play for the Springboks, with Felix Jones paving the way at the last two World Cups before joining England. Mr. Flannery revealed that he had been in touch with his compatriots about the complexities of being part of the Park government.
when asked independent newspaper If you want to learn South Africa's national anthem, you've answered admirably with a plan to learn Afrikaans before acknowledging more seriously how personal the two mid-year tests against Ireland will be.
“Should I? I didn't see Felix singing! But I'm trying to get buy-in here, so if you think I should…” Flannery said.
“I was told that I had to learn Afrikaans within two years, but I think I can learn it in one year. Daan Human (Bok Scrum Coach) told me, “If only I could learn one sentence every day…'' said.
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“I can speak Irish and English and if I can add Afrikaans to that, I think I can be a winner.
“Obviously, it's going to be very personal for me. The pleasing thing is that we haven't won against Ireland since 2016, so this is a big milestone for the group.
“And that week was about me taking control of myself. But it's very personal to me and I think that's a good thing because you know you care at the time – And I think if the players feel like you care, they'll go, “Let's do this.”
“I had this conversation with Felix last week!”
world's best debate
Ireland have just defended their Six Nations title and are considered by many to be the best team in the world, despite being ranked second behind the Springboks in the world rankings.
Flannery believes his home country has arguably the strongest team, but believes the Springboks also have a chance if the top two sides clash in a mini-series to reveal the best teams in the world.
“It's a big challenge because when you really watch them you want to go. Ireland are really one of the best teams in the world. They're very fit, very skilled and their game has a lot to offer. There are many layers…it's not just stopping one thing,” Flannery said. .
“What struck me was that Ireland hit the ground running right away and I think that’s the advantage of the Irish system. Players come from Leinster and then the best of the other three provinces. and they immediately hit the ground and ran.
“They looked very fit and very united against France. On the contrary, I thought Ireland punished them because France looked slow outside the blocks. I did.
“When you talk about defenses evolving, the finer point is how referees are officiating the breakdown. If you look at Ireland closely, they're one of the best teams in that regard. Yes, and that's why it's difficult for teams to beat them defensively.
“They're the best at adapting to how the referee judges the breakdown. Jackal space is something that's always going to be there and that's what makes the right decision. Because width and space are compromised. , don't put too much body in the breakdown.
“When you play defense, you don't just wait for your opponent to make a mistake, you want to defend to get the ball back. There's definitely an opportunity there.''
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