Rassie Erasmus accused of ‘running scared’ ahead of All Blacks clash
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Running scared.
Rassie Erasmus has been accused of “running a little scared” ahead of the Springboks’ opening Test against the All Blacks at Ellis Park.
Writing for The New Zealand Herald, senior rugby writer Gregor Paul has questioned Erasmus’ approach during a fascinating build-up to the first Test of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series.
Much of the discussion this week has centred around officiating, with the All Blacks raising concerns over the speed of matches during their provincial fixtures in South Africa.
Erasmus subsequently appeared alongside former Test referee and current Bok laws adviser Jaco Peyper at Monday’s press conference, where Peyper discussed the laws governing the time allowed to form lineouts.
Springbok assistant coach Felix Jones later highlighted feedback from the Stormers, Sharks and Bulls concerning alleged illegal All Blacks actions at the breakdown and while defending mauls.
Paul believes those interventions have been deliberately designed to influence how Saturday’s Test is officiated by English referee Matthew Carley.
“For the first time in a long time, Rassie Erasmus appears to be running a little scared – indulging in pre-Test antics to patently influence the match officials.”
Paul went further, warning that the increasingly heated debate around officiating could have consequences across the four-Test series.
“The way he has defaulted to dubious behaviour has the potential to turn this series toxic.”
The New Zealand journalist also believes Erasmus’ approach has actually handed the All Blacks an early psychological advantage, describing his attempts to influence officials this week as “poorly conceived”.
Paul also drew a comparison between Erasmus’ approach to former All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson and his tactics ahead of his first Test against Dave Rennie.
The Springboks won three of their four Tests against Robertson’s All Blacks, culminating in their record 43-10 victory in Wellington.
Paul argues that Erasmus had not felt the need to engage in the same level of psychological warfare for some time, but believes the arrival of Rennie and his new coaching team has changed the dynamic.
He suggested Erasmus has now switched into “Machiavellian mode”, describing Rennie as an opponent the Springbok boss respects and is wary of.
The comments add another layer to what has already been a lively build-up at Ellis Park, with refereeing, breakdown tactics and the contrasting tempo of the two sides all becoming major talking points ahead of Saturday.
