MIND GAMES BEGIN | South Africa vs Ireland Hype Train

1 week to go until the Boks host the Irish…and Rassie is not wasting any time hyping it up. You love to see it. Over to you Andy Farrell

so the Mind Games have begun one week before the first test match at L’s first Feld in Petoria between world champion South Africa and Six Nations Champions Island a massively hyped series that’s why I’m here in South Africa to watch these two games and Razzi arasmus has dropped what he thinks is Andy Farrell’s 23 man squad question is is he right and question is what impact if anything will the Mind Games have really interesting that’s what I want to talk about on this video would love your comments down below give the video a thumbs up to help me spread the word because it’s just me but I love my Rugby and if you get value from the channel and you love your rugby as well hit subscribe uh what I’m going to do at the end of the video I’m going to give you a little flavor of what I’ve been up to in South Africa over the last couple of days it involves animals and a different type of animal um a couple of spring box but Internationals as well um yeah I’ve got something to tell you about those I bumped into some very well-known people more on that in a little bit I’m sat in my hotel room the new hotel Ruda port for the final night I’m heading off for Safari for a few days tomorrow um and then I’ll be back in Petoria ahead of the uh the first test of course but I’ll be talking about rugby on the Channel all the time so like I say hit subscribe and let’s talk about this first I think this is such a fun move from rassi arasmus it’s I mean there’s so much to love about it as a little movie it just Hypes the match up even more and we need that this feels like the sort of thing that boxing promoters do before a big heavyweight championship fight do you know what I mean and this is in rugby terms this is as good as rugby gets in 2024 the World Cup last year was incredible normally the year after a World Cup feels a little bit me because nothing lives up to the World Cup but England uh England in New Zealand’s going to be great Ireland in South Africa is going to be epic because South Africa have not beaten Ireland since 2016 yes they won the World Cup but the blemish on record was they lost in the pool stages now South African fans might argue well yeah they were just experimenting in that pool game and it didn’t really matter which I would agree with but it’s just a little blemish and when you actually look at the last 12 matches Ireland have won eight of them so I think the Box are going to be very much out to prove a point and Ireland absolutely the same we also heard Rassy Rasmus saying let’s spice it up when that um Simon zebo’s words Simon Zebo said were taken out of context and uh when he said what was he did he say that rassie hates Ireland and um rassie was like yeah just let’s hype it up again just feeling like he’s he’s actually doing the job of promoting the sport by getting people talk talk about it and that’s what I want you to do as well talk about it down below now the question is if rasi rasmus’s 23 man squad is correct does that mean Andy Farrell’s a little bit too predictable or actually if if you want to have a glass half full Andy Farrell’s very consistent and knows his best team and that’s a a good thing and certainly I’d say more people would be able to guess the island 23 than the South Africa 23 and you can you can argue whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing so um oh he also teased that’s what he did I’ll put the 23 up um but he also teased his own team by giving us the weight the age and the number of caps of his team now haven’t got time to to sit down with an abacus and work out what rassy’s team is that he didn’t show us but the little te’s gave some Clues away I’m sure someone will have the time I also like some of the have a look at the team I also like some of the spellings uh I mean Ryan bird and Nick Tomy just getting it ever so slightly wrong you know when you it’s like a power move isn’t it oh hi John my name’s James oh yeah yeah yeah yeah whatever just a power move at some I don’t think that’s what’s going on I’m sure it was an honest mistake but the favorite one MC McCarthy is uh does does Joe McCarthy have some rapping skills I’m not aware of uh if if so I need to see them so anyway he’s made that’s what he also did it’s the weekend it’s obviously a little bit of downtime the Box have done their training they’re having a little bit of time off and rasy Rasmus opens up his laptop starts making a spreadsheet even making formulas to add add up columns I love it anyway as for the team is he correct front five yes it picks itself doesn’t it and that’s partly due to a well I don’t know about a lack of depth they’ve got lots of good players but there’s there’s no one on the fringes that’s been tried and tested and you would have confidence over and above the players that are there and that front row in particular is and in fact the whole front five is exceptional one of the best front fives in the world and will I believe do a decent job of going toe-to-toe with South Africa so it will be Andrew Porter and Ty Furlong as props will be Dan she at Hooker and it will be Joe McCarthy and Tig bur at second row just on the spelling by the way you have to give rassie credit for getting the Irish spellings correctly TIG I’ve spelled that wrong a bunch of times and um he did Connor properly with just the one n as well so little touches fair enough Healey with and it’s just a y not an ey so yeah you got to give him credit where it’s due uh so and and James Ryan will be on the bench as well so I think he’s and this I think the front row Replacements he’s got absolutely spot on as well um so yeah let’s move to the back row now this is a little bit more of a question mark because Josh vanleer and Peter ammani have not been playing as well as they have done in recent previous Seasons they their experience is absolutely massive and we’ve seen that rasy Rasmus has picked a very experienced South African Squad and that experience sometimes gets overlooked form is important but having been there and done it and been in those tight games against those big oppositions and and having the the experience and the and the psychology to be able to deal with that is absolutely massive it’s someone reminded me a friend reminded me the the other day of um of the phrase and he used to be a military man and he said you you should always fear an old Soldier because they’ve seen things and they’ve got skills that have well means that they’re still there so I think rassie is correct it will be Peter ranii it will be Josh vanleer and it will be kayin Doris in the back row halfbacks no Jameson Gibson Park an Irreplaceable player you cannot replace him H but I think rassie is correct I think it is going to be Craig Casey starting with Connor Murray on the bench because blade is a step down for both of those two I I don’t know what John Cooney did to upset Andy Farrell I don’t know if he’s got some I don’t know if he I I don’t know what he did but I don’t understand why he’s been overlooked again um and the fact that I mean Conor Murray what a servant what a player but the fact he is still an Irish International against the world champions at this stage would be a cause for concern or at least it should be a cause for concern that there isn’t someone else that you would have the confidence to step in as well because they need to start looking beyond that um R obviously Jack Crowley is going to be 10 Center I think rassy’s got it absolutely spot on again Bund Yaki and Gary ringrose amazing combination over the last few years Robbie Henshaw has been backing them up brilliantly and without Gary ringrose for lster Robbie Henshaw has been excellent ENT but those two are are different class attack and defense and Gary ringrose it’s hard to say Jameson Gibson Park’s been the Ireland’s most important player Hugo Keenan as well but aside from those two it’s Gary ringrose James Low’s going to be on the wing and Calvin Nash really good in the Six Nations they will be the Wingers and fullback no Hugo Keenan another Irreplaceable player I think rassie has got the whole 15 absolutely spoton as for the bench that is the only place that I think there might be a debate here rassie has guessed a 6-2 split with Connor Murray and Kieran froley as the back Replacements and Nick timy and Ryan bed as the back row Replacements to be honest that’s what I would pick I don’t if it’s a 53 split I I just don’t think he’s going to pick prast there’s some people been sort of going oh no I want prast in on the bench no give give him time no I just don’t think this is the right place at the right time LOF is first Feld in front of that crowd world champion I hostile I just want I do think at altitude with the physical domination you need to put in in order as Ireland did in Paris in that PO game that win was based on just brutality from the forwards and they’re going to need that again and Nick timy’s been playing out of his skin this season and I would bearing in mind what I said about Josh vleer and Peter armanii I would pick B and timy and I would have Kieran froley as you your utility back with Connor Murray and I would not have have yeah it’s harsh Robbie Henshaw great player you I mean you no you couldn’t risk it I was going to say you could risk having Henshaw instead of froley but you really can’t because of the fly half situation it that would be a risk so there you go um that’s my thoughts let me know I think I think Rassy might have the whole 23 absolutely spot on and again I I don’t necessarily see that as a as a bad thing from Andy Farrell’s perspective he he knows his players knows what they’re capable of they’ve been there and they’ve done it in Six Nations and in Big World Cup matches yeah fine quarterfinals we don’t need to labor that point but there are tried and tested bunch of bunch of players that maybe have some concerns in a year or two’s time and they need to start bringing some through but you don’t need to start bringing players through when you’re playing South Africa in South Africa have a crack so there we go your thoughts on the channel thank you very much as I said I will run you through what I’ve been up to the last couple of days so if if you just wanted to watch the rugby you can stop there do hit subscribe and come back for the other stuff but if you are curious there are some South African Internationals that I will mention now um because well I’m I’m at the a new hotel Ruda port and I have to thank a new hotels and resorts once more for their support of the channel helping making this trip to South Africa possible I’m so grateful and um well lovely room that I’ve got where I’ve been able to do some work and uh do this video from so next time you’re in South Africa if you need a home from home next time you may be planning a trip for the URC to come out here and see a game or some Internationals or oh no on business or on a holiday whatever a new hotels. co.za now I’ve had a couple of amazing days I’ve well let let me show you uh yanu who is the he’s connected with Monas school he’s the the team doctor for the Monas boys and he’s part of the the the vitb old boys the old vit white ball old boys uh he used his contacts to get us into Ellis Park and as you might have seen on the video that I posted uh previously I went and stood on the pitch at Ellis Park on the spot where Joel stransky slotted that drop goal in the 1995 Rugby World Cup final and then yanu took me to uh jeppy High School one one of the fine rugby schools in South Africa in Johannesburg and jeppy had a big win against Grey’s College this season one of the biggest school boy rugby upsets in maybe 50 years and that was playing host to the the Craven week B competition where there were a load of younger and the bsides and numibia and Zimbabwe had teams there and the standard of play again was outstanding uh then he took me uh to meet at dross which is um well the O the owner of uh dross This brilliant bar and restaurant bar and grill told me that it’s the biggest seller of Brandy in all of South Africa and I had a brandy in Coke with Villa Alberts The Bone Collector what a player only just retired from playing rugby and is was he 39 when he retired 39 or 40 what an absolute legend for South Africa and wherever he’s played the Lions um or for stad fron and a lovely man and like I say um Brandy and Coes with vill Alberts was enough to finish me off for the day uh but I did wake up early this morning though to go cycling um I got up and Before Sunrise I was at cradle Moon just about 20 minutes up the road here with Rory stain who invited me now he is the father of Kyle stain Glasgow Warrior and Scotland Winger he lives up the road here Kyle stain of Glasgow Warriors who had a famous win just up the road in Petoria in that URC final the other weekend now Rory lives up the road he he watches the channel and said I need to come out into the bush and said he’d sort me out with a bike and that before breakfast I’d be cycling with zebra V vilder beast and giraffe I I didn’t totally believe him but have a look that is exactly what happened it was amazing and uh yeah as you can see I’m having the having the best of times and then it was the Craven Week final match back at Monas School Monument School the final matches uh there was the Bulls V the sharks lions were also in action again but the B the final match the the two unbeaten teams the Free State cheaters against Western province the standard of play in that game just exceptional and there were loads of newly named South African schools Internationals out on the pitch I caught xan dong former South African International and I bumped into him a few times when he was over in the UK playing for wasps and keep an eye out on the channel soon because he is going to be featuring uh don’t you worry and then I sat down to watch uh the under 20s Rugby World Cup when Rassy arasmus did Razzi Rasmus things and I’m here making this video and you’re watching it and hopefully you’re going to comment on it and give the video a thumbs up and hit subscribe right I need to get packed up because I’m off I’m off for Safari for a few days I’ll see you on the next one