Jean Kleyn N/IQ

I'd say Noel Kelly contacted World Rugby to bring in the new rule.

Then he contacted Rassie and asked him to consider bringing Kleyn back to play for SA, then Smith contacted Farrell to get him to drop Kleyn from all Irish training squads.

No reason to disbelieve him.

Equally people often say things in interviews that aren't the whole truth.

Only Kleyn knows the truth. The question is whether it matters. He made his choice, he's moved on, best of luck to him.

A pedestal!!!

I mean wtaf, where is this coming from

Ah here, stop digging.

Using quotes of a player and saying it's not unreasonable to think that he's telling the truth is a long, long way from putting him on a pedestal

Whether it was a surprise to him or not is irrelevant, the issue is that he was effectively released from Ireland and lots deserving players given a spot ahead of him, not a good strategy to win a world cup I think

For what it's worth I think he wasn't informed until very recently as secrecy is golden with these deals

Especially when they have nothing to gain from not being honest

But maybe he does.

We don't know when he made the decision to switch.

If he only made it after the Irish RWC squad was announced, then no reason to fudge things.

If he made it months ago, and was planning to join the Boks all the while people are berating Farrell for not picking him, then that isn't a good look for him at all.

Again. No one here knows when he agreed to join SA. Unless I missed it, Kleyn has not said when it happened.

Also again: it doesn't matter and I don't care. Whether he's fifth in line for them or fifth in line for us, it's unlikely to impact either country and it shouldn't be a stick for disgruntled people to beat Farrell with. But that's exactly what it has become.

There's zero evidence of anything.

I don't think Kleyn said when he actually got the call. Maybe he was surprised back in February.

But it doesn't matter. Good luck to him. People will twist it to stick the boot in on Farrell regardless. That's my beef. Marginal selections of fringe players being blown up into something they're not.

Edit: and the guy making the call would be Rassie Erasmus, who's entitled to precisely zero benefit of the doubt when it comes to honesty or doing the right thing.

Stick the boot in Farrell 😮

Talk about using emotive language 🙊🙈

Such preciousness 🤣😂

I think someone should ring Joe Duffy about bold those fans are.

Talk about pedestals 😂

I have criticised Farrell for favouring cohesion over everything else, and for not building enough depth in all positions, and for relying too much on Sexton for the last 2 years when his chances of surviving the RWC without getting injured were low....

Which of those meets the criteria of sticking the boot in to Farrell?