Erasmus fumes at Rennie rugby scrum claims as Springboks and All Blacks brace for 3rd test

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa’s Rassie Erasmus appreciates what opposition rugby coach Dave Rennie is up to by complaining about the Springboks scrum.

What Erasmus doesn’t appreciate is how Rennie’s claims are taken as gospel.

World champion South Africa and New Zealand are 1-1 in their historic four-test series, and preparing for the third match on Saturday at FNB Stadium.

New All Blacks coach Rennie has been picking at the South Africans since he landed in the republic a month ago. First, he accused them of deliberately slowing the game down and, after New Zealand won the first test 33-16 at Ellis Park, claimed the Springboks scrum was walking around.

Rennie doubled down on the scrum after losing the second test 33-26 in Cape Town on Saturday, and Erasmus reacted at his press conference by swearing in frustration.

“It started early in the tour when they complained about teams slowing the ball down,” Erasmus said on Saturday. “I think it should be clear now we are not slowing the ball down. It was a plan on their part. It’s the first time in history that these people are talking about us walking around. So why would we want to start walking around now? We are not (expletive) walking around. We scrum through.”

On Monday at his team announcement, Erasmus said his frustration was less about Rennie and more about “when an opinion gets presented as fact.”

“Once you put a narrative out like that, everybody starts focusing on that, all media, all podcasts, and a lot have got no knowledge about scrums,” he said. “I would not be a person to talk with authority about scrums but I do know how (assistant) Daan (Human) coaches the scrums and we will never say let’s walk around a team. That’s not our strength, that’s not how we do it.”

Erasmus had empathy for Rennie’s mind games because he believed coaches were constrained by World Rugby protocols about raising issues post-match. Erasmus added he had his own grievances about the All Blacks’ play but didn’t want to air them through the media.

“I’ve been burned for that before,” he said. He was suspended twice by World Rugby for referee criticisms in 2021 and 2022.

Former Springboks coach Nick Mallett said it would be disappointing if the to and fro between the coaches distracted from the series.

“You see a strength in the opposition and you try to negate it,” Mallett told the Talking Boks podcast. “You try and use everything, not only through coaching but also through chatting about, ‘Is it legal? How do they manage to get (that advantage)?’ Every coach does it.”

Meanwhile, Erasmus made essentially one enforced change to the team from last Saturday’s win, switching Cheslin Kolbe to fullback for the injured Damian Willemse, and filling the wing spot with Kurt-Lee Arendse.

Willemse and other injured backs Handré Pollard, Grant Williams and Canan Moodie will be fit to fly to Baltimore for the fourth test next week, Erasmus added.

“We’re desperate to make sure we don’t go to Baltimore to play for a (series) draw,” he said.

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South Africa: Cheslin Kolbe, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Jesse Kriel, Damian de Allende, Ethan Hooker, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Cobus Reinach; Jasper Wiese, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Siya Kolisi (captain), Ruan Nortjé, Eben Etzebeth, Wilco Louw, Malcolm Marx, Ox Nché. Reserves: Deon Fourie, Gerhard Steenekamp, Thomas du Toit, Lood de Jager, André Esterhuizen, Cameron Hanekom, Morne van den Berg, Manie Libbok.

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