Steven Kitshoff fires back at All Blacks over controversial Springbok accusations
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Walking around.
Former Springbok prop Steven Kitshoff has hit back at suggestions that South Africa were guilty of illegally manipulating the scrum during their Greatest Rivalry series against the All Blacks.
The set-piece became one of the major talking points of the four-Test series, with New Zealand head coach Dave Rennie raising concerns over the way the Springboks were scrummaging during the opening two Tests.
Rennie claimed the Boks were walking around the All Blacks rather than driving straight, with New Zealand subsequently raising their concerns with the officials.
Kitshoff, however, has emphatically rejected the accusation.
“I don’t think the Springboks were guilty of that. No, definitely not,” Kitshoff told Netwerk24 at the launch of his autobiography, Kitsie: Memoir of a Bomb-Squad Bok.
The two-time World Cup winner pointed to Springbok scrum coach Daan Human and insisted there is no place for that kind of tactic in the South African system.
“If you listened to Daan’s press conference, he said he only coaches one way, and that is to scrum straight. Walking around is a sin in Daan’s eyes,” Kitshoff said.
“Walking around in scrums is a cardinal sin in Springbok rugby.”
The scrum battle remained a huge feature of the series, with South Africa regularly looking to turn their set-piece dominance into penalties and attacking opportunities.
Kitshoff says that dominance comes from attempting to overpower the opposition rather than finding ways around them.
“You want to put as much pressure as possible on your opponents through the scrum and get them on the back foot,” he said.
The former Bok loosehead also believes the four-Test battle may have provided a preview of an even bigger meeting to come at the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
“I think the scene is now set for next year’s quarter-final.”
