In an unexpected twist following Ireland’s nail-biting Rugby World Cup win against South Africa, ITV Sport presenter Mark Pougatch found himself issuing an apology.
The source of this unplanned apology was none other than Ireland’s winger, Mack Hansen, who inadvertently let slip an expletive in the heat of the post-match excitement.
The showdown at the iconic Stade de France on Saturday saw Ireland digging deep and emerging triumphant with a hard-earned 13-8 victory over the formidable Springboks.
This victory not only preserved Ireland’s immaculate record at the World Cup but also added to their prior, more comfortable conquests against Romania and Tonga in the initial pool stage encounters.
“It was pretty much like a Grand Slam on steroids out there. It was crazy,” Hansen said before praising the impact of the fans who flocked to Saint-Denis.
“It said that there were 80,000, it seemed like there were like f***ing….” He then apologised for swearing, saying “Oh pardon. Pardon again.”
“It seemed like there were 800,000,” Hansen continued. “It was incredible and we needed every single one of them out there tonight to get that job done against a really good South Africa team.
“They’re just so big and physical and they still showed up tonight. Yeah, it was definitely the fans that got us over there.”
PARTNERS LINKS:
- Win a signed England jersey with Charles Tyrwhitt
- Find your local Greene King pub to watch the rugby
- Secure your seat for the Six Nations with viagogo
- Visit our World Cup travel guide with Omio
TIER ONE NATIONS RANKED BY NO. OF FOREIGN-BORN PLAYERS:
Scotland (15)
WP Nel (South Africa), Pierre Schoeman (South Africa), Javan Sebastian (England), Ewan Ashman (Canada), Sam Skinner (England), Jack Dempsey (Australia), Hamish Watson (England), Ali Price (England), Ben White (England), Ben Healy (Ireland), Chris Harris (England), Cameron Redpath (France), Sione Tuipulotu (Australia), Kyle Steyn (South Africa), Duhan van der Merwe (South Africa).
Italy (11)
Ivan Nemer (Argentina), Hame Faiva (New Zealand), Dino Lamb (England), David Sisi (Germany), Toa Halafihi (New Zealand), Sebastian Negri (Zimbabwe), Martin Page-Relo (France), Juan Ignacio Brex (Argentina), Ange Capuozzo (France), Monty Ioane (Australia), Paolo Odogwu (England),
Wales (10)
Taulupe Faletau (Tonga), Tomas Francis (England), Dan Lydiate (England), Will Rowlands (England), Henry Thomas (England), Christ Tshiunza (Democratic Republic of the Congo), Gareth Anscombe (New Zealand), George North (England), Nick Tompkins (England), Johnny Williams (England),