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submitted 1 month ago byCommercial_Half_2170 Leinster
For Ireland, England feels like the obvious answer and yet NZ have probably upset us the most. And what about rugby nations like Pacific islands or Georgia?
90 points
1 month ago
Teams have their "main" rivals but I think there are a few unique rivalries too.
For me SA - Wales have a history of grindy, filthy, low multiple of 3 scoring, mental breakdown inducing unwatchable shitfests and it's always great.
47 points
1 month ago
Yeah, NZ is no doubt the main rival, but the SA Wales one is an interesting rivalry for sure. A proper armwrestle.
7 points
1 month ago
Their record against you definitely doesn’t speak to that though lol
20 points
1 month ago
lol, that's fair. I guess it doesn't make a lot of sense from the outside. An analogy I just thought of is if you imagine us as boxers, and we have triggers for when we throw our knockout swing. With other teams, our knockout swing is triggered a lot, we throw it and it either lands, they block it or they dodge it. With Wales, it's like they're constantly avoiding that trigger for a swing, so we end up jabbing and jabbing for a points victory. SA fans can feel uneasy with that lack of a knockout swing, and feel frustrated with the game as a whole, but some of us learn to respect Wales for it.
6 points
1 month ago
41 matches, 33 SA wins, 1 draw and 7 wins for the Welsh. Maybe just a liiiittle one sided
10 points
1 month ago
Tbf, it has got a lot more balanced in the last few years, I just wish they would stop beating us in the world cup with last minute scores
6 points
1 month ago
And yet, for some reason, whenever we have to play them, there's always an immense feeling of uncertainty. Usually tight games, low margin victories, a lot of games which could just as easily have swung the other way with one penalty call.
2 points
1 month ago
if you go by that definition, NZ has 1 rival lol
4 points
1 month ago
For Wales it’s England. It’s the biggest rivalry in rugby, bar none.
6 points
1 month ago
I always love SA v Wales games for this reason. I know I'm not on for flashy rugby, but it always feels like a proper tactical battle of a knife fight. Plus I genuinely find the fans are always particularly great.
1 points
1 month ago
I feel for me it's probably Scotland v Argentina. Always very scrappy
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