FORMER Ireland hooker Jerry Flanagan joined in on the post-match fun after helping South Africa claim the Rugby Championship yesterday.
The Springboks claimed their first Rugby Championship title since 2019 after they comfortably overcame Argentina 48-7 at Mbombela Stadium on Saturday evening.
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Victory helps exact revenge over Los Pumas following the shock 29-28 reversal at Santiago del Estero last weekend and it was a determined and well-deserved result.
The five-point success sees Rassie Erasmus’ outfit pick up the Rugby Championship silverware with an eight-point buffer from the All Blacks, who finished in second spot.
And it’s the first trophy of many for defence coach Jerry Flanagan.
The former Munster star joined the reigning World Cup champions in March after announcing his leave from English side Harlequins, which he joined in 2020.
The RTE pundit had previously worked under boss Rassie Erasmus at Munster after his own playing days were cut short due to injury in 2012.
The 45-year-old had initially served as the province’s scrum coach between 2014-2017 before graduating to forwards coach.
He departed Ireland in 2020 to take on even more responsibility for the Premiership side.
His time there has seen his reputation burnished even further as they overachieved in winning the English league in 2021.
Reflecting on his decision to reunite with Erasmus, Flannery stated the chance was too tempting to turn down.
He said: “I loved my time at Harlequins working alongside a talented young group of coaches and players.
“The opportunity to move into international rugby and to work alongside Rassie Erasmus again after our time at Munster was very appealing.”
Flanagan was of course part of the Springbok side that welcome Ireland to Africa for their summer series.
And attacking coach Tony Brown believed Flannery’s insight was crucial ahead of their first meeting on home soil in other eight years.
Brown said: “What I have noticed is that he is a fantastic coach.
“He coaches the game very well and coaches it with some real intensity, which is ideal for a defence coach.
“He knows a lot about Ireland.
“I can’t tell you what he (told) the boys, but he’s definitely got an insight into their mentality and mindset.”
