Rassie Erasmus has explained how the decision to make the Springboks less reliant on the set-piece paid off in the quarter-final victory against France.
The Springboks, and Erasmus in particular, have endured a fractious relationship with World Rugby and the governing body’s elite panel of referees over the past three years.The tension between the two came to a head in the fallout of the 2021 British & Irish Lions series, after which Erasmus received a ban for an hour-long video disseminating decisions made by referee Nic Berry in the opening Test.
There was further evidence during Monday’s press conference, when Erasmus refused to comment on France’s criticism of referee Ben O’Keeffe’s performance in the World Cup quarter-final clash on Sunday night.Erasmus did open up on how the Springboks consciously decided to move away from relying on 50-50 calls from referees, by basing more of their play on free-flowing attack, rather than the dark arts of scrumming and mauling.
“My caption there was we have to make things clearer for referees. We can’t just rely on scrumming, mauling and close contact, because that’s really difficult for referees to make the correct decisions. It’s really dynamic and there are a lot of grey areas.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
All Blacks World Cup winner: ‘Rassie Erasmus is a genius’A former All Black World Cup medallist has thrown his support behind the Springboks and Rassie Erasmus ahead of Sunday's showdown against France in Paris.
Read more »
WATCH: Rassie Erasmus’ wild celebrations after win over FranceCheck out these epic scenes of pure joy in the coaches' box as Rassie Erasmus celebrated the Springboks' win over France on Sunday.
Read more »
SCENES: Rassie Erasmus goes wild; gets swamped by players, coaches and fansThere were some epic and wild celebrations after the Springboks' enthralling win over France and Rassie Erasmus was front and centre.
Read more »
‘Enkosi kakhulu’: Rassie Erasmus grateful for Bokke supportersThe Springboks' victory has united South Africans in more ways than one. Here's what Rassie Erasmus had to say...
Read more »
Lynn Forbes Celebrates Springboks’ Victory against France with Photo of AKA in National Boks JerseyLynn Forbes, mother to assassinated rapper, AKA celebrated the Springboks moving to the semi-finals after defeating France with a special national jersey picture.
Read more »