Ireland head coach Andy Farrell wants his side to use their number one ranking in the world as a “weapon” in the upcoming Autumn Nations Series.
Farrell’s men start November with a blockbuster Test against the Springboks before facing Fiji and Australia in an intriguing month of action.
After claiming a prized series win in New Zealand in July, the Irish shot to the top of the world rankings, and Farrell is looking to maintain their place at the summit.
Keeping hold at the top
“There’s no saying whether we will be number one after the first game or the second game, but let’s embrace it, go after it, use it,” Farrell said.
“I don’t want to be number two. What are we waiting for? Let’s go after it full throttle and see where we’re at.”
Farrell wants his side to be fearless and play the game that earned them the title of best in the world, and he hopes to take on a South African side who are at their best.
“What are we scared of? We want to be at our best,” he said.
“We wanted New Zealand to be in a position where they never lose twice in a row, they have their injuries back, they never lose a home series.
“We want that to see where we’re at. That’s why I hope South Africa and ourselves are at our best.
“The result will take care of itself but at least we’ll keep finding out about ourselves. That’s what we want to do. That’s how we keep progressing – not necessarily just on the scoreboard.
“Belief comes from understanding what you’re trying to achieve.
“Is the evolution of a game finding new things or just doing things better? Because we’re nowhere near what we’re trying to achieve now. We’re nowhere near spot on.
“We can get better at so many things that we’ve started to do. So making sure that we keep getting better at those things is important to us as well.”
Hoping for a tricky Test
Farrell wants his side to be tested to the max with the World Cup on the horizon, considering Ireland has become notorious for peaking between showpiece tournaments.
“We want South Africa to be at their best, we want ourselves to be too,” he added.
“We constantly want to test ourselves, see where we’re constantly at. We hope that they come and they’re as strong as they possibly can be and put out a great performance as they can.
“That’s how we get to find out about ourselves.”
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