Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus emphatically hit back at claims that his forwards are scrumming illegally during Rugby's Greatest Rivalry.
Image: BackpagePix
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has hit back at suggestions that South Africa were deliberately “walking around” in the scrum during Saturday’s 33-26 victory in the second Test of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry against New Zealand in Cape Town.
Erasmus, pleased by his team’s back-against-the-wall performance at DHL Stadium, was clearly frustrated by the narrative surrounding the Boks’ scrum and insisted there was no reason for his forwards to suddenly change their approach at the set-piece and deliberately wheel it.
While the Boks didn’t receive as much reward at scrum-time on Saturday as they did last weekend in the first Test, it was still a strong platform for the hosts and** helped them draw level in the series with two matches to go**.
All Blacks coach Dave Rennie questioned the technique of the world champions at the scrum, and said they were stopped by referee Angus Gardner when they went further left from his mark.
“We will give a bit of feedback on that, it is still a bit of an issue for us that they are able to walk around and go straight through our tighthead,” Rennie said after the loss.
The New Zealand coach first made claims about ‘walking around’ in the scrum after the opening Test
“There are a couple of technical things we will share again, but I thought in the end, both teams were able to play off the scrums and I think Angus did an excellent job. The scrums were better tonight (Saturday).”
The Bok mentor rubbished claims that they are scrumming illegally.
“We’ve been playing with this pack of guys together, so it’s the first time ever in history that people are talking about us walking around. So why would we all of a sudden walk around in the scrum?” Erasmus said in his post-match press conference.
“The first six scrums New Zealand had, every single one collapsed. And it was reset, reset, reset, reset. So why is it only on their ball that the scrum collapsed every single time?”
“Don’t try and convince the people through the media, because that’s what happened in the first week. They tried to convince the people in the media that we’re slowing the game down, and we’re not.
“We’re not f*cking walking around. We’re scrumming through,” Erasmus said.
He also pointed to other contentious moments during the match, including several head contacts, suggesting South Africa had not complained despite decisions they felt could have gone their way.
According to Erasmus, the Boks did not moan about the head contacts in the first half or last week, where they picked up about four times when the All Blacks hit a Bok player in the head in a tackle. Lood de Jager was the only player sent off for a head-high tackle after Kiwi winger Leroy Carter ran into him when the lock was practically almost on the ground with his knee.
“You know, if he’s (Dave Rennie) going to start moaning about stuff like that, then they’re under pressure. So, if the referees get caught up by that, then there’s obviously, like, a plan to get that message out. And we’re not going to stay quiet and just say, 'Yeah, you're right, we’re walking around.
“We’ve never ever been accused of walking around, so I don’t understand it.”
Related Topics:
