Speaking exclusively to BOYLE Sports ahead of the Six Nations former Ireland and Munster forward Alan Quinlan has given his assessment of Wales recent struggles, whether they can find form again and earmarks their key player ahead of the tournament.
Quinlan offers his perspective on the South African involvement in the United Rugby Championship and describes former Munster Coach and now Springboks main man Rassie Erasmus as one of the sports greats.
Elsewhere he gives his assessment of the recent Ireland and South Africa rivalry describing it has mostly fan driven and speaks about the strength of the Springboks scrum,
Wales Rugby
Wales Struggles
It does. They won one game in the last 15 Six Nations matches. It's a really tough place. Cardiff and Ospreys might give them some hope, but they lack massive depth, quality, and power. The structures and the whole system have been questioned.
I'm not sure how they get out of it in the Six Nations. The first game is at Twickenham. Then they've got France at home, Scotland at home, away to Ireland. I don't see results for them. It was frightening what happened against South Africa; it was dangerous. It's going to be another difficult Six Nations for them, unfortunately.
If they can get all players available, they can possibly turn it around and be a dangerous team to play against. They need to dig in and hopefully bring some players through, but it will be difficult.
Jac Morgan
Jac Morgan's a real leader. I think back to the France-Wales game last year, France won 43-0, but I was looking at him as the player of the match. He was so good in defeat. He inspires people around him.
Will they get him back for the Six Nations? Apparently, they are hopeful. He will help them, of course. Every neutral rugby person would love to see Wales winning again. Who knows, maybe a big result is around the corner that might change the picture for them.
Every neutral rugby person would love to see Wales winning again. Who knows, maybe a big result is around the corner, but you can have good players; to win these tournaments, you need world-class players. They have very few.
If they take the bad experiences and use them in a positive way, that is key. We've seen in the past where big defeats have a negative effect on young players. The hope is that these guys will learn from these experiences and see the minute details required to be top class at international level: having less time on the ball, your physicality around the carry, tackle technique, and decision making. All that gets exposed at the top level.
I would be optimistic that players getting exposed to those tough times can make them stronger and help them develop, because Wales do have some very good players. But they have gone through a dreadful run, and there are certain positions that need more depth. Again, they're a little bit like Ireland: they don't know who their number one out-half is, and their front five has chopped and changed a lot. They have good outside backs and loose forwards, but they probably have more problems in those key areas and just not enough depth coming off the bench.
South Africa
South Africa’s URC Travelling Commitments
It's a challenge, but nothing new now. I think having them in the URC is a great concept and has improved the competition dramatically. It's bad news for everyone else because those teams are getting better, their players are getting better, and it's benefiting their international sides as well.
For the Irish provinces, going down to play two games is tough. It’s a 12-month season, practically, for a lot of their players. But ultimately, having South Africa in the URC benefits everyone by raising the standard.
Rassie Erasmus
Is Rassie Erasmus One of the Greats?
Yeah, he is. I think they'll be firm favourites going into the 2027 World Cup. Their depth chart is incredible. South Africa have always had the players, but what he has done is structurally changed everything: aligned the unions, the pathways, consistency in communication, and fitness requirements.
I think back to 2016 when I was there with Ireland. We won for the first time on South African soil in Cape Town. Their Rugby Championship results were poor after that, and then they came to Dublin in 2017 and were beaten 38-3. It was dreadful stuff.
Rassie doesn't have a magic wand; a lot of the players who played against Ireland in November 2025 were playing back in 2017. There was a core group already there. But you have to give him credit for bringing in overseas coaches like Tony Brown and Felix Jones. He's finely tuned players to a level that is off the charts. Their skill levels are so high now they can play the game in a number of different ways.
Ireland vs South Africa
Hostility? Ireland vs South Africa
I was surprised by the reactions. Maybe the world is different now with the online presence of fans. It’s probably created their Instagram, with comments from fans ramping it up. Ultimately, it’s down to a rivalry.
Ireland has had an incredible 25 years of change in the professional game with a very small group of players. You have to be humble when you're doing well. Maybe some Irish fans got carried away pre-World Cup. The South Africans can be a little bit touchy if you say something.
For example, Eben Etzebeth coming out and saying "we'll see you in the final" regarding the Irish players, I think that was totally taken out of context. It was more of a flippant comment, probably meant to be respectful, implying "you're not gone out of this competition yet".
I don't think it stems from Rassie; he has always spoken fondly of his time in Munster. Jacques Nienaber is back in Leinster now, too. I don't think there is any genuine hatred there.
Springboks Scrum
You can't depower the scrum; it's a central part of the game. Other teams just have to get technically better. But South Africa, if they had six props missing, could bring in another six. They have depth right down to the Currie Cup and college teams—they could pull a prop out of a college who is 130 kilos and lock out a scrum for you.
When the Stormers played Munster in Limerick recently, John Dobson told us afterwards that the scrum dominance in the second half turned the game around. They were 21-6 down at halftime and came back to win because of those penalties.
One thing that frustrates me is this "five-second law" at the breakdown. It was brought in to speed up the game, but actually slows it down. It allows the attacking team to build this "truck" players entering the ruck, lying down, the scrum-half bringing it all the way back. It buys them time to set up a precise box kick, but it also allows the opposition defence to organise.
We're lacking unstructured kicking. If a fullback or winger gets the ball and has time, we want them to run. Now, by the time they get the ball, the defence is set, so they kick it back or contest in the air. We've gone from a slow ruck to a slow scrum. It stops the flow. God be with the days where a flanker could block down a scrum-half at the side of a ruck.
Bet on Rugby Union Odds with BOYLE Sports
*Prices are subject to fluctuation.
Remember, Always Gamble Responsibly.
