PARIS – South Africa coaching director Rassie Erasmus has explained how the Springboks changed up how they played in the wake of his controversial tweets about official following last year’s loss to France.
South Africa turned the tables on France in a thrilling 29-28 quarterfinal win in Paris on Monday (AEDT).
In November 2022, the Springboks went down by four points to the French in Marseille, sparking a series of Erasmus social media posts that were criticised by, among others, Wales coach Warren Gatland and former top referee Nigel Owens.
After each side received a red card from Wayne Barnes, Erasmus posted a series of tweets using video clips of the action, accompanied by comments pointing out areas the Springboks needed to improve in. It was widely taken that Erasmus was being sarcastic – although he argued at the time he was being genuine.
Owens was scathing: “Once you start putting things out there on social media questioning decisions, that’s not what this game is about, I don’t think. I don’t think this it’s right and I don’t like it.
“Go through the proper channels, and as long as everyone is open and honest and transparent… that is the way forward, not [to do it] on social media.”
Since then Erasmus has tried to recruit Ownes and although the former ref didn’t come onto their staff, the pair have been in regular contact.
Erasmus said he has already spoken to Owens since the quarter-final triumph.
“To be honest with you, and I am serious when I say this, I will never forget that post that last French game,” Erasmus told reporters.
“I tweeted a few tweets and a lot of people said it was controversial but I can remember my caption there was ‘we will have to adapt and make things clearer for referees, we can’t just rely on mauling, scrumming and close-contact work where it is very difficult for the referee to make the correct decision’. Because it’s very dynamic and it’s busy and there’s a little bit of grey areas there.
Rassie Erasmus, Coach of South Africa, looks on prior to the Rugby World Cup France 2023 Quarter Final match between France and South Africa at Stade de France on October 15, 2023 in Paris, France. (Photo by Justin Setterfield – World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images)
“So, we had to adapt. Also to try and score tries through more open, fluent, running rugby. And you could see in our try-scoring tally there’s a lot scored by our backs, more than our forwards.
“If you only rely on a certain aspect of the game which is very tough for the referee to referee and he gets two (decisions) wrong but you only relying on those three or four of five opportunities that you get, 50 per cent of your opportunities are gone. But if you fire shots in open play, general play from the top of lineouts or counter-attack, it’s clearer decisions for the referee and easier to make.
“As a team we don’t want to be this wonderful playing rugby team that the whole world loves, but we do want to score tries.”
He said the team had changed its ways after that game. Before Eben Etzebeth received a yellow card for a head clash in Paris, the Boks hadn’t lost a player to a card. They only conceded six penalties against France, and it was the home side left bemoaning the big calls.
“What did you think from the outside? It’s hard to say because there’s a lot of disappointment and frustration. We want to see the images again – which will give us even more disappointment and even more frustration – but I think some clear and obvious things weren’t whistled,” said France skipper Antoine Dupont.
“At crucial moments, we could have had a penalty. When you’ve gone forward 60 metres and you’re slowed down in the rucks, it’s pretty easy to whistle. I don’t want to sound bitter, moaning about the refereeing because we lost the match, but I’m not sure the refereeing was up to the challenge.”
The performance of Ben O’Keeffe divided the teams and fans, It was a similar case in England’s win over Fiji where the Pacific Islanders felt Frenchman Mathieu Raynal acted with ‘unconscious bias’ towards the tier one team.
Erasmus insisted: “Since we’ve changed our way, no matter if we are correct and the referees are wrong, respect must always be shown.
“Our whole motto has been let’s respect the referees. It works both ways. He’s going to make mistakes, we’re going to make mistakes. And the frustration we had in the past, and the lack of communication because of various things with Covid … that is in the past. There’s a nice protocol in place, it’s easy to communicate to them.
“I wouldn’t like to comment on what they (France) said about the referee. We are just working on accepting that there will be mistakes on both sides, which is something that we had to get right and we had to earn the respect back and I think it’s slowly happening.”
Pieter-Steph Du Toit and Kwagga Smith of South Africa celebrate victory at full-time following the Rugby World Cup France 2023 Quarter Final match between France and South Africa at Stade de France on October 15, 2023 in Paris, France. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)
Erasmus also expressed surprise at the open nature of the four quarterfinals – all of them hugely exciting.
“I was surprised how in the quarter-finals they were so many tries scored. That was something different. I always thought it would be a grind, it was a grind, it was a squeeze, it was tight at the end, Erasmus said.
“But I guess when we go into semi-finals, again defence, scrum, mauls, tactical kicking and sometimes brilliance like [Damian] Penaud and [Matthieu] Jalibert and those guys can do and the same with the English team, from [Owen] Farrell right through to [Courtney] Lawes. They’ve got tremendous players – [Ellis] Genge – who can do wonderful things during the game.
“But again, as it get’s closer to that final, and hopefully we are in that final if we get past England, those deep mechanical, fundamentals of the game will always start getting more and more important.”
The 2019 champions appear to timing their run perfectly and bookmakers expect them to get past England and meet New Zealand – who will have their semi against Argentina – in the final in just under a fortnight.
The coaching team had received criticism for their rest and rotation policy, particularly in 2023, but Erasmus said it was paying dividends.
“Our average player is 162 minutes in the World Cup,” he said.
“Matches before the World Cup, where we played Rugby Championship and we played Wales and New Zealand again, I know people got frustrated when we were chopping and changing and I am not saying I am right [but] luckily, touch wood, up until this morning we don’t have any injuries from last night’s game.
“I couldn’t talk for other teams but I do know us and the England team will definitely have a close match because their numbers of spreading the load is not so much higher than ours.”
Skilly
Roar Rookie
The AB's don't lose to ANYONE often. Looking forward to the game next week - hope both teams bring their best
Skilly
Roar Rookie
Fair enough @sofa Coach, thanks for the good luck wishes - turns out we needed them!
Sofa Coach
Roar Rookie
Exactly Bus. I have only succeeded on diluting my own point by making reference to the EE decision. My key point is about respect for and manipulation of the referee. The former used to define our game. Unfortunately, in the modern game where the laws are so often subjective and sanctions are determined by KC's and plea bargains, (and dare I say whether the player is a PI or member of the RFU), manipulation and coercion of refs is increasingly apparent.
Sofa Coach
Roar Rookie
Respect ATW. :thumbup: Thanks for the back up. Precisely the core point. It's a shame that Harry for all his fabulous prose and undeniable passion for the game couldn't see past his own bias to address the key point of Tony's article and your and my posts- no matter what Rassie does for the Bok, or how good they are and how well they perform, he has done immense damage to the game that is bigger than him or his team. His failure to acknowledge his crimes is both a blight on his team as well as his own personal legacy. As for the rest of us, the standard we walk by is the standard we accept. Harry, I love your contributions, but you've disappointed on this one.
Sofa Coach
Roar Rookie
Realist, a differing opinion is neither offensive nor cause for apology. I regularly defend precisely that on here. That's the very reason this forum even exists. But if you don't have the energy or the decency to read a reply, but have plenty of energy to continue with your own narrative without even heeding another perspective, then you're just a narcissist. Why even come on here? Just go have a chat with the mirror. That way you're always right and no one can ever be offended. P.s. probability is everything with refereeing. That EE slapped it backwards is purely your opinion because it's the outcome that you want. Of course, the opinion of every Frog was that it was knocked forward. Referees are constantly making calls based on probability for the very reason that much of rugby today is now grey. BO'K made an extremely contentious decision based on the laws as they currently stand. Had he made the opposite call, I doubt even Rassie or EE himself would have argued against it for a millisecond.
FunBus
Roar Rookie
I also believe it was knocked back. Doesn't alter the fact that BOK looks like the 'Manchurian Candidate' when he referees the Boks. He's been 'groomed' more than a Kentucky Derby winner.
FunBus
Roar Rookie
There's a very interesting article in today's Telegraph in the UK by Gatland on Rassie. You don't need too many interpretative skills to read between the lines.
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
Another reason to adopt my hobby horse - no penalty goals outside the 22. Not only reduces time wasted on the clock - about two minutes between penalty whistle and resumption from kick off - would also provide less incentive to rely on negative play and banking on points from scrum and breakdown penalties. And fewer breaks for long distance pen goals would tire out the big bodies more. Another idea - which will also go nowhere! - is to have fewer substitutes to again have less reliance on sheer bulk. Substitutes would be mainly for injury replacement. Allow 6 on the bench, but only allow say 3 to come on. Presumably this isn’t too far from what happens at club level?
Rocky's Rules
Roar Rookie
@Skilly I'm an AB fan and they don't lose to the Boks often the past 10 years :laughing: There's no hate for Eramus or Nienaber - they're too boring to hate hehehe :thumbup:
Rocky's Rules
Roar Rookie
@Dave I said at the top you believe anything Eramus says at your own risk. Blah blah this slow down the game tactic has been regularly used by SA since Eramus became involved in 2018. They'll try it again in the next 2 games :laughing:
Rocky's Rules
Roar Rookie
@Crusher Yeah just another cynical Bok tactic. They'll do anything to slow the game down and reduce ball in play time. All consistent with their negative, dour, boring tactics :thumbup:
Rocky's Rules
Roar Rookie
@Cheetah Yes I do Cheetah and .....I find time to do that too :laughing: I'm a Rugby fan so I have to watch the Boks when they play ABs, WBs and other nations who play rugby in a spirit I enjoy. It's very hard work watching the Boks play anyone else though. Since 2018 Boks have been extremely boring to watch and there's millions of other Rugby fans who agree with me. Boks have few, if any, fans who are not Sth Africans. Eramus is the king of winning ugly. Although the France v Bok QF was their most entertaining effort since 2018 so there's always hope Boks will start playing a style attractive to watch :laughing:
ORF
Roar Rookie
The damage done to referees is done by no other than World Ruby. They have devised a game that is impossible to play. If every transgression was penalised the game would be even more stop start. In all of the quarter finals there were numerous incidents that were either not picked up or penalised incorrectly. Three of those matches could easily have gone the other way if one or two legitimate decisions had been made. It really is hard to know which is the better team.
CheetahBok
Roar Rookie
You talk so much kak is is almost unreal! NZ also slowed the game down when they had a man in the bin! You really are a sour chop. Funny the stadiums are mostly full capacity when the boring boks play. Even when they smashed the oh so exciting AB’s at Twickenham. The AB’s didn’t look too exciting that day though did they? Headless chickens ???? come to mind!
CheetahBok
Roar Rookie
If my uncle had boobs he would be my aunt! So if the Boks are so boring, why are you spending so mych energy watching, analysing and criticising them? Don’t you have a lawn to mow or a hedge to trimm
CheetahBok
Roar Rookie
What if my uncle had boobs? I guess he would become my aunt ????
James in NZ
Roar Rookie
A French version of the Rassie video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ge0C83qUHAI&ab_channel=springSTeen The Bok fans are pretty unfazed piling on in the comments.
Ankle-tapped Waterboy
Roar Rookie
Thanks for the update on O'Keefe and nice summary of the Springbok team smarts over the past four years. Add to that a broadening of the menu or palette of game plans, and you've got a remarkably well-balanced team. They deserve to be in the knock-out stage and I've picked them to win the Final and the Cup. Surely the All Blacks can't play another match to the level they did against Ireland? As for Mr Erasmus, I would like to believe his apologia and change of heart. Unfortunately he did so much damage to rugby and its referees that I am not yet able to. Maybe a full and public apology as part of the winners speech in Paris, and even then if it's weasel words or half-laughed away in mitigation I won't believe him. Validating and encouraging vilification to the point where death threats happened? Well, the cause and blame is with him. He has done a great deal to destroy part of what makes rugby special. This article appears on the same day a nutter shot and killed two "away" supporters in Belgium in a UEFA Cup soccer match. That is the future Erasmus has taken us closer to, whether he intended to or not. Without doubt a brilliant coach but he is no role model.
TheRealist
Roar Rookie
I don't have the energy to read reply to your full post (that's not a go at you I just simply dont) RE Etzebeth, I have watched it numerous times and it is not clear that it goes forward. Was he lucky to get away with it? Absolutely yes. Was it the wrong call by the ref? I don't believe so. Just because others would likely have been penalised does not make it a wrong call, it simply further highlights the state and the challenge of reffing, and the laws. You state "to achieve any other outcome other than a knock on is highly improbable" does not support any offence simply highlights the risk. He scooped it back, didn't slap it up up or slap it down. I'll have to agree to disagree with you on this and offer an apology for any offence to you I caused.
Harry Jones
Expert
Always a bit of a rogue, but smart as hell and married to data in the end. Each player (w possible exception of EE) became LESS indispensable within the system and at the same time, one of the happiest camps: loose and confident. Thus, when a player of the caliber of Marx or Lood or Am went down, there was none of the Eddie Alibi logic (we lost Will, therefore…) Rotation, rest, experiments, and a firm belief in how to not get carded or pinged much. By the way, I understand BOK got the highest ref grade from (the French) head of refs. On all the big moments, including the EE scoopback, Ben was spot on and stood his ground. This is not one of these “on the one hand, on the other hand, my truth, his truth” BS situations. The ball went back. Kolbe was on time. Great game, Ben. Pity he can’t ref the final.