Erasmus hits back at Rennie over ‘walking around’ Scrum claims
Rassie Erasmus hits back at all Blacks Scrum complaints
South Africa head coach Rassie Erasmus has dismissed claims from New Zealand counterpart Dave Rennie that the Springboks are illegally “walking around” and pushing straight at scrum time to gain an advantage.
The comments come after the Springboks edged a thrilling second Test in Cape Town on Saturday, securing a 33-26 victory to level the four-match Greatest Rivalry series at 1-1. The teams will now meet again in Johannesburg next Saturday for the third Test.
Erasmus Rejects New Zealand’s Scrum Claims
Rennie expressed his frustration with the Springboks’ scrum tactics after the match, claiming that “walking around” remained an issue. The New Zealand coach also indicated that the All Blacks would provide feedback to World Rugby regarding their concerns.
Erasmus, however, believes Rennie is attempting to influence how referees view the Springboks’ scrum technique.
“We’ve been playing as a pack with these guys together for some time, and it’s the first time in history that people are talking about us walking around,” Erasmus told reporters.
He also questioned why several early scrums collapsed when New Zealand had possession.
“The first six scrums for New Zealand, every single one collapsed, and it was just reset, reset, reset, reset. So why is it only on their ball that the scrum collapses?”
Erasmus then hit back at what he described as unnecessary criticism.
“Don’t come with that nonsense and say, ‘you’re walking around’ and trying to put that out in the media.”
Erasmus Points to Other Refereeing Decisions
The Springboks coach also referred to a disputed New Zealand lineout and several incidents involving potential head contact during the match.
“Their last lineout was skew. I’m not going to moan my arse off about that,” he said.
“So if you just want to start moaning about stuff like that, then they’re under pressure.”
Erasmus also argued that South Africa had previously chosen not to publicly complain about refereeing decisions.
“Because last week we didn’t moan after there was clear head contact a lot of the time. And today in the first 40 minutes there were four head contacts, and nothing was done about it.”
Springboks Defend Their Scrum Technique
South Africa had been particularly dominant at scrum time during the first Test, although New Zealand managed to hold its own more effectively in Cape Town.
Despite that, Erasmus strongly rejected the suggestion that the Springboks were deliberately moving around at the set piece.
“We don’t want to stay quiet and just say, ‘Oh, you’re right, we’re walking around’,” he added.
“We scrum straight. We’ve never been accused of walking around. So I don’t understand.”
What’s Next in the Greatest Rivalry?
With the series now level at 1-1, attention turns to the crucial third Test in Johannesburg next Saturday.
The rivalry will then continue with a fourth and final Test in Baltimore, United States, on September 12.
The All Blacks are making their first full tour of South Africa since 1996, adding further significance to a series being promoted as the Greatest Rivalry.
With the winner also set to claim the World Rugby number-one ranking, the remaining Tests promise to be just as intense on and off the field.
Follow the latest Springboks and All Blacks news, including match previews, results, team updates and analysis, throughout the August and September tour.
Nick Said has covered African sport for almost three decades, specialising in football, rugby and cricket. He is based in Cape Town, South Africa.
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