'It’s hot for us gingers' - An 8-0 split, cake and Darwin's theory of evolution

The Rugby World Cup is nothing if not a wild, raucous and surprising tournament on the field – and that absolutely applies to what some of the players and coaches let slip at press conferences off the pitch.

Here are some of the best quips from the last 48 hours of Rugby World Cup pressers.

“It’s hot for us gingers.”
Namibia hooker Louis van der Westhuizen on the weather

“I don’t know what your description of tough love is, mate.”
Australia head coach Eddie Jones on if he’ll show tough love to his players this week

“After the match in Lille, we had seven days to put the All Blacks players back into a classic rotation. This is the team we fielded the day after the Uruguay match. Our method is based on adaptability. We adapt and read according to the deadlines. It’s Darwin’s theory: the most intelligent species adapts.”
France head coach Fabien Galthie’s unique take on squad rotation

“In 2000, we were due to play the All Blacks and we stayed in Aix-en-Provence. For us, Stade de Marseille was a mythical soccer stadium. We got lost. The bus couldn’t find the stadium – we arrived half an hour before kick-off.”
Galthie, again, on his experience with Stade de Marseille

“I don’t think we can go eight-zero, that is a bit extreme.”
South Africa’s director of rugby Rassie Erasmus admitting there are limits to the team’s bench experiments

“You’ve never met Steve Borthwick (head coach) if you think we are going to be allowed to relax.”
England attack coach Richard Wigglesworth on whether the team can take a back seat after winning two games

“We like it when Fabien gets tense from time to time.”
France full-back Thomas Ramos on if the team are under pressure from coaches to perform against Namibia

“It is obviously not nice, it can hurt, and when I’m a 50-year-old man I think I’ll be complaining about it.”
Scotland centre Cameron Redpath on coming back from multiple injuries

“If I could play with 11 brothers or 15 brothers I would.”
Italy back Paolo Garbisi on playing alongside his brother Alessandro

“There’ll be a few cakes today. A few boys will probably be off the cake but I’m more than sure a few of the backs who are trying to put on a few kilos will have a slice or two.”
Wales wing Rio Dyer on Will Rowlands and Corey Domachowski celebrating birthdays today [Tuesday]

“Sometimes you have got to put up a trick and sneak out.”
Tonga wing Solomane Kata on a story about him wanting to retire when he was 22 years old