Rassie can’t warn the world rugby referees any more — and that’s the story before Ellis Park
Rassie Erasmus used to be able to warn a referee, quietly and in private, that his side might try something unusual. That is how the Springboks introduced the midfield maul last year. He cannot do it any more — and neither can Dave Rennie.
World Rugby now requires both head coaches to attend any pre-match meeting with match officials, which is why no such meeting will take place before the first Test of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry at Ellis Park on Saturday 22 August. Erasmus turned one down this week. Rennie, the All Blacks head coach, said he felt the same way. The two camps exchanged views on four contentious areas — one of them time wasting — by email instead.
Why the meetings stopped working
Coaches once met officials alone. They used the time to seek clarity on laws, and to flag a move the referee might not have seen before so he knew what he was looking at. Requiring both coaches in the room removes the confidentiality that made it worth doing.
Erasmus, speaking to media in Johannesburg on Monday and gave an example. A side planning a front peel at the lineout would once have told the referee in advance, so the official knew where to stand to judge whether an obstruction had occurred.
He can’t have that conversation now without the opposition coach hearing every word of it.
Erasmus said he declined this week’s meeting because it would serve little purpose so late in the tour, with four matches already played and three training sessions left before the Test. He added that the change had opened a gap between coaches and officials, and that he understood entirely why New Zealand had raised their concerns publicly. If they believe South African sides slow the game down, a joint meeting is not the place to argue it. Asked how coaches make their case now, he said: “you voice your opinion in the media. That’s the only option.”
Rennie described the same mechanism from the other side. “For us to do that, we both have to agree,” he said. An email had gone out the previous week proposing a discussion on roughly four key areas, time wasting among them, and a written summary reached the All Blacks camp on Monday morning.
Rassie didn’t feel there’s any need to meet. I feel the same way, to be honest.
A 50-second lineout, and a Bulls contrast
The flashpoint is tempo. The suggestion that South African sides deliberately slow the game down came from within the All Blacks camp during the tour, and Rennie was pressed on it on Monday. He said he was unsure what Erasmus was referring to, then supplied his own evidence from three weeks of tour matches.
Against the Hollywoodbets Sharks, he said, one lineout took 50 seconds to set. Against the Vodacom Bulls, whom New Zealand beat 50-19 at Loftus Versfeld, he found the opposite.
“We found against the Bulls the Bulls had a much more positive mindset,” Rennie said. “There’s a lot more ball in play.” He said he expected the Springboks to take the same view.
Peyper rejects the claim
Erasmus brought national laws advisor and former Test referee Jaco Peyper to the media conference specifically to answer the technical questions on game speed. Peyper said South Africa had received no feedback across five matches suggesting they slowed play down, and questioned the comparison — some of New Zealand’s tour opponents, he suggested, were closer to pre-season condition than Test sharpness.
It is a familiar position for a coach who has spent much of his tenure contesting the framing of matches as actively as the matches themselves. Erasmus will name his side on Thursday, later than the usual midweek slot, which he has put down to respect for the opposition rather than gamesmanship.
None of it changes what happens at kick-off. Matthew Carley referees the opener, the Springboks are named on Thursday, and whatever they have prepared, nobody outside their camp has been told about it. On both sides, that is rather the point. Rennie, for his part, expects innovation.
All Blacks v Springboks referee row: your questions answered
Why are Rennie and Erasmus not meeting the referee before the first Test?
World Rugby requires both head coaches to attend any pre-match meeting with match officials, and both must agree to it. Erasmus declined this week, saying it would serve little purpose with four matches played and three training sessions left. Rennie said he took the same view. The two camps exchanged views on four areas, including time wasting, by email instead.
Why did World Rugby change the rules on referee meetings?
Coaches once met officials privately to seek clarity on laws and to flag tactics they planned to use. Requiring both coaches to be present removes that confidentiality, because anything a coach tells the referee is also heard by the opposition. Erasmus says the change has left a gap between coaches and match officials.
What are the Springboks accused of doing?
The suggestion, raised from within the All Blacks camp during their tour, is that South African sides slow the game down to disrupt New Zealand’s preferred tempo. Rennie pointed to a lineout against the Hollywoodbets Sharks that took 50 seconds to set, and contrasted it with the Vodacom Bulls, who he said kept far more ball in play.
How have the Springboks responded?
Erasmus brought national laws advisor and former Test referee Jaco Peyper to his media conference to answer the technical questions. Peyper said South Africa had received no feedback across five matches indicating they slowed play, and suggested some of New Zealand’s tour opponents were closer to pre-season condition. Erasmus has said nothing in the laws prevents a team taking its time before a lineout.
Who is refereeing the first Test?
Englishman Matthew Carley has the whistle for the series opener between South Africa and New Zealand at Ellis Park in Johannesburg on Saturday 22 August.
When do the Springboks name their team?
Erasmus has pushed the announcement back to Thursday, later than the usual midweek slot. He has framed it as respect for the opposition given the difficulty of the fixture, adding that the less preparation time New Zealand have, the better.
