Ireland legend Brian O\u2019Driscoll says that Rassie Erasmus still has a chip on his shoulder and that fans don\u2019t have to like him to appreciate what he has achieved with the Springboks.<\/b><\/p>\n
South Africa ended a 13-year drought in Dublin last weekend, clinching a 24-13 victory over Andy Farrell\u2019s charges at the Aviva Stadium.<\/p>\n
The Springboks dominated the set-pieces in the fixture but didn\u2019t have the ruthless edge to rack up a mammoth scoreline against the Irish<\/a>, with the final scoreline flattering the hosts. The result marked Erasmus\u2019 first win at the ground as a coach, having failed to beat Leinster at the stadium during his time with Munster too.<\/p>\n \u2018You don\u2019t have to like Rassie\u2019<\/p>\n Appearing on the Off the Ball podcast, O\u2019Driscoll<\/a> praised Erasmus<\/a>\u2018 achievements since leaving Munster and turning South Africa<\/a> into a real force in the international game once again.<\/p>\n However, he realises that the Bok boss is not the most popular figure outside of South Africa.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s really a remarkable job that he\u2019s done because he\u2019s such an interesting character, and it\u2019s so full of the bad side, and the cranky side and then the charm as well, and that\u2019s almost all sideshow to the job he\u2019s doing as a coach,\u201d show host Mick McCarthy remarked.<\/p>\n \u201cThe fact that he\u2019s unlocked the potential of the Springboks in a way that nobody else ever has.\u201d<\/p>\n O\u2019Driscoll replied: \u201cI don\u2019t think you have to like him to have a huge appreciation for what he\u2019s managed to deliver in the time that he\u2019s come in as director of rugby in 2017 [editor\u2019s note: it was 2018].<\/p>\n \u201cWe beat them out the gate in Dublin, and they went and won the World Cup, probably a little bit to their surprise, in 2019 because I think they earmarked 2023 as their real chance because of the age profile of the players.<\/p>\n \u201cSo they got an earlier World Cup than they\u2019d expected.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd now, they are just going from strength to strength and Rassie has got a real chip on his shoulder still, like the cameras pan to the box and all of the like mouthing to the fans and you\u2019ve just beaten us up.<\/p>\n Rassie Erasmus explains controversial \u2018thumbs up\u2019 celebration and his verdict on \u2018always illegal\u2019 red card debate<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s still, almost like it wrangled them; there\u2019s an irritation that we\u2019ve been competitive with them the last few years, and this one was like, \u2018Now, sit down\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n Eddie Jones believes refs are \u2018deciding a lot of games\u2019 but issues could be \u2018thrashed\u2019 out at conferences that World Rugby stopped<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Springboks would win a World Cup next month<\/p>\n McCarthy likened Erasmus\u2019 attitude to that of Manchester United\u2019s legendary manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, who was also viewed as having constant gripes and a chip on his shoulder, as a ploy to keep the players hungry despite their success.<\/p>\n O\u2019Driscoll describes it as a fringe player who isn\u2019t sure where he stands with his coach and is constantly trying to prove a point.<\/p>\n