Former England centre Will Greenwood says the Springboks are “miles clear” of the rest after their brutal demolition of Ireland in Dublin.

The Boks snapped a 13-year drought at the Aviva Stadium with a bruising 24-13 win on Saturday – their fourth straight victory on tour.

Greenwood dismissed the frenzy around the flurry of yellow cards and a 20-minute red, stressing that the conversation should instead highlight how far ahead the world champions are of everyone else.

“The headlines will be about the cards. I know the headlines will be about the cards,” Greenwood said. “This should be about South Africa. They are absolutely freaking immense.”

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The 2003 World Cup winner praised the Boks for setting a new global standard across every facet of the game.

“Physically immense,” he said. “Set piece, lineout, contact area, speed of backs, dynamism, flexibility of players in different positions. I mean, stand out right now. Everyone else is just playing for second place.

“South Africa finish the year miles clear. Miles. Clear.”

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