Rassie Erasmus defends Springbok innovations: ‘It’s what lifts us, gets us up for the game’

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has fiercely defended the recent innovations of his team, passionately explaining that they do it for South Africa and no one else.

Speaking this week ahead of Saturday’s one-off Test against Georgia in Mbombela, Erasmus was asked about the outcry from two of the Boks’ most recent moves — the short kick-off to force a scrum and midfield “fake lineout” to set up a driving maul.

Various pundits and ex-players have voiced their opinions on these new moves, with many outside of South Africa saying they go against the spirit of the game, while Italian coach Gonzalo Quesada said he found the short kick-off disrespectful. The Boks faced Italy in Gqeberha last weekend, where the “plays” where put into action for the first time.

Rugby belongs to nobody

“I don’t want to sound arrogant, but rugby belongs to nobody. It isn’t England’s game, or France’s game, or New Zealand’s game, or Japan’s game. Everybody plays differently and there are rules and laws in place,” explained Erasmus this week.

“When Jannie de Beer kicked five drop goals in 1999 was that not in the spirit of the game? When the French ran the ball from everywhere, was that not in the spirit of the game? If you put the ball in skew at the scrum and take the contest away, is that against the spirit of the game?

“So we want scrums in a game and if we can get it (legally) we will. We don’t put a ball in skew just to get the scrum over and done with, we want the scrum. We could have kicked the ball out directly (against Italy at the start of the Test in Gqeberha) and had a scrum anyway and nobody would have known.

“But we don’t want to hide that from the world. And it’s not about us doing it to the world (other teams), it’s about what lifts us, what gets us up for the game and we won’t hide away from that.

“We wanted the first scrum and we wanted to show it, rather than kick the ball out on the full and everyone thinks that it was an accident. The week before we couldn’t contest in the scrum (on Italy’s ball) because the ball was fed straight to the eighthman.”

Against Italy the short kick-off ended up not working, as an early engagement at the scrum gave the visitors a free kick that they attacked from, while the midfield “fake lineout” worked twice, with two tries scored after it was used.

Trying things out

Erasmus said that was the point of trying out new things, that some would work and others wouldn’t, and that it wouldn’t discourage them from trying to break new ground.

“Even though it didn’t work out for us (this time) it doesn’t matter. There are many things that we try that don’t work out (at first) and we take that on the chin,” said Erasmus.

“There are lineout moves where we get outsmarted. New Zealand had some fantastic lineout moves in the old days, where they would have a back jumper and then throw it to the middle where a guy like Tony Woodcock would score a try.

“It was magnificent. But then there was the early jump in the lineout, but you don’t moan about that. You say well that’s creative, well done.”

Erasmus added: “If the French kick the ball long into your in-goal area and you just kick the ball out, is that against the spirit of the game?

“I don’t know who the people are that decide what the spirit of the game is, and who owns the rights to that.

“We are doing it for South Africa; we aren’t doing it for the rest of the world, to say if it is right or wrong. As long as we are playing within the laws of the game (it is fine).

“It’s a bit frustrating. If they want us to be a dumb boring side that just bullies all game, I don’t think our people want that type of game back. So it’s not against any laws, rules or protocols. As long as we in South Africa are happy it’s all good.”