6-0 Irish URC feast on SA foes: Onus is on Bulls to halt it

Highest-level rugby bragging rights between South Africa and Ireland stay on a tantalising knife edge.

The Springboks have gone roughly four points clear (94.54 to 90.57) of the second-placed Irish on the World Rugby rankings following their retention of the Webb Ellis Cup in France a few weeks ago.

Few could quibble about the Boks' right to head the pack after they took a heroic, particularly arduous road in beating the host nation, then England and New Zealand respectively in the knockout phase of RWC 2023.

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Yet enthusiasts on the Emerald Isle - as heartbroken as their national side themselves after the fancied outfit's quarter-final crash to the All Blacks - can find consolation in the fact that they were the only side to pip the Springboks (13-8) in pool play at the tournament.

There is also the matter of South Africa not having beaten Ireland in three successive Tests since late 2017, though all have been in the northern hemisphere and the Irish are due on these shores in the middle of 2024 for a mini-series.

At franchise level, however, there has been a clear gap - and it's only been widening greatly this season - between the two countries for success rates in bilateral contests at either United Rugby Championship or European Rugby Champions Cup level since SA sides committed themselves northward in 2021.

In short, it's nearly all Ireland.

The two nations have dominated the URC since its inception, as reflected in the Stormers being champions in 2021/22 and then being deposed by Munster in the Capetonian final last season.

But in general head-to-head terms, the Irish quartet of teams truly have the wood on their SA counterparts: up to this