Springbok legend drops hint over sensational return to Irish rugby for Rassie Erasmus

A bombshell revelation or mind games ahead of next week's encounter?

Rassie Erasmus is one of rugby's most eccentric characters. From his traffic light distractions at this autumn's Rugby World Cup to his box-office Twitter shenanigans, the Springbok head coach dominates the back pages whenever his side are involved. The Springboks got off to a near-perfect start on their quest to reclaim their World Cup crown last weekend, with a comfortable opening outing against Scotland in Marseille. With the Boks due to play Romania tomorrow, attention has already started to point ahead to next weekend's mouth-watering clash against Ireland. However, instead of the pre-game build-up focusing on on-pitch matters, Springbok legend Victor Matfield has dropped a bombshell revelation about the future of Rassie Erasmus and where he may end up post-World Cup. [caption id="attachment_292825" align="alignnone" width="640"] Erasmus previously led Munster to the European Cup semi-finals back in 2017. (Credit: Getty Images)[/caption]

Victor Matfield drops Rassie Erasmus bombshell:

Speaking on The Rugby Pod podcast, 127 test veteran Matfield revealed that he believes Erasmus could be in line for a sensational return to Irish Rugby, having achieved everything he can with the Springboks. The speculation comes off the back of reports that IRFU performance director David Nucifora is set to leave his role, paving the way for Erasmus to follow fellow Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber to Ireland, with the latter having agreed to fill the void at Leinster left by Stuart Lancaster's departure.

"It sounds like Rassie is going, he might stay for a few months just to get a few things in place. But knowing Rassie and knowing Jacques, those two do everything together, so I think the chance of him going to Ireland must be 90-95%." Matfield said.

Having previously served as Munster head coach for the 2016-2017 season, Erasmus left his post after just one season when he was offered the chance to take the reins of the South African national team. With all this said though, Matfield's comments must be met with some degree of scepticism, particularly given the fact that Ireland and the Boks are due to face off in Paris next weekend, with the winners set to avoid the hosts France in the tournament quarter-finals. Well-known for his pre-match mind games, is the timing of the news of Erasmus' 'likely' departure merely a coincidence, or is the World Cup-winning coach up to his usual cunning media manipulation tactics. Related Articles:

• Ireland vs. Tonga: All the biggest moments, talking points and player ratings
• “Jesus, we could be here a while!” – Peter O’Mahony on what Johnny Sexton means to Ireland
• Nigel Owens expertly defends controversial refereeing decisions at Rugby World Cup
• Johnny Sexton decision hints at big team selection calls for Springboks and Scots
• O’Mahony and Farrell on the warpath as they defend “incredible” Mack Hansen