Erasmus addresses the impact the Etzebeth assault allegations have had on the Springboks
South Africa coach Rassie Erasmus has played down the impact the assault allegations against Eben Etzebeth have had on the Springboks in the lead-up to Saturday’s fascinating World Cup opener versus New Zealand in Yokohama.
The Springboks lock has refuted allegations that he had racially abused and attacked a man in the Langebaan area of Cape Town prior to the squad’s departure for Japan. However, the matter is still under investigation.
“When it first happened, it was not ideal but as I have said numerous times when I sat down with Eben, I have been coaching him since he was 18 at the Stormers and Western Province. I know him as a person and I have got a good relationship with him and when he tells me something, I believe him.
“There is a thorough investigation currently in South Africa and if something comes out of that, I’m going to believe what he tells me. We are going to co-operate fully with the authorities in South Africa, and whenever something from their side comes up and they want something to be done, we will fully co-operate with that.
“The players know his personality, I know his personality. In the team environment, spot-on – there have been no disruptions.”
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Switching to Saturday’s all-important clash with the defending champions, which will be refereed by France’s Jerome Garces, Erasmus is hoping that the current competitiveness at the top level of Test rugby will ensure that no one side will be favoured and the match official won’t be a talking point in the game’s aftermath.
“If you have been there like we were in 2009 when the Springboks were the No1 team in the world and in 1998 when we were on that 17-Test match (win) roll, you get a lot of support from fans, opposition, respect, and also from referees,” he said.
“There is certainly a time when you get that respect and even referees buy into that respect. Because you are playing so well, referees tend to almost find it tough to penalise you in 50-50 decisions.
The @Springboks will field an unchanged 23 for the first time since the last @rugbyworldcup for their opening match of the 2019 version in Yokohama on Saturday. #RWC2019 https://t.co/L11upt2yOi
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) September 18, 2019
“The way rugby has evolved in the last year or so, all teams are so close currently. The point is at this stage, it is tough to say. Now Ireland are No1, then Wales, then England, and South Africa are No4. I just think that pre-conceived idea that this team can’t beat the other team is gone.
“This is a World Cup where any team can beat any team. That is the way it should be – referees should be open-minded going into Test matches – which they are currently.
“It’s big, massive,” he added about Saturday’s sense of importance playing the All Blacks. “There are a lot of emotions going into this. I played against the All Blacks in the World Cup for the bronze medal in 1999. That wasn’t a great experience – we did win the game, but it wasn’t the nicest feeling playing in the third/fourth place play-off.
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“I’ve coached against them prior to the World Cup in 2011, which was also a preparation match in Port Elizabeth, then the last three Test matches, but this is the first time in the World Cup that I am part of the coaching team, as the head coach.
“(I have) a lot of emotions, which vary from excitement to nerves to pride. This is a big game for us, not just in terms of advancing to play-off mode, but just the history between us and New Zealand.
“There is a lot at stake in terms of pride and respect between the countries and as a head coach, it makes me really proud to be with these boys in this match and knowing that both teams have equal chances in this match.
Excellent Rugby World Cup scene setter from Lawrence Dallaglio on RugbyPass https://t.co/NObs1U4HOZ
— liam heagney (@heagneyl) September 8, 2019
“The thing that makes it special is that if you ask anybody right now who is going to win this Test match, then I don’t think anybody can bet on the two teams. I guess we think we have a really good chance, and if you ask (All Blacks coach) Steve (Hansen) and them, they will think they have a really good chance.
“They now know what our team looks like and it’s a massive build-up. We are enjoying it thoroughly and when it comes to Friday evening and Saturday morning the nerves will get more.
“It will be very sad if we lose on Saturday but it’s not the end and then the Italy game becomes really important to come out of the pool. If you lose, you always lose a bit of confidence and then you have to rebuild again. Although the world ranking says they are No2, I think they are No1 in the world,” he continued before addressing concerns the match in Yokohama will be affected by rain.
2??
Not just the biggest upset in Rugby World Cup history but one of the biggest upsets in sporting history.
David beats Goliath in Brighton at #RWC2015 ? pic.twitter.com/95P8o6Wexl
— Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) September 18, 2019
“It’s going to be a massive challenge with the rain they are predicting. Even if it doesn’t rain, everybody is talking about the humidity and slippery ball and the arms being wet. Kicking is going to play a big part but somehow you have to score points, and you can’t just get it by penalties and drop goals.
“Scoring from bad kicks and fielding kicks and living off those bad kicks is going to play a big part. Kick execution is going to be important and then the fielding of kicks and really pouncing on kicks is going to be a big part of it.”
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Comments on RugbyPass
It’s impressive that we can see huge stadiums with attendance in the 40 000 to 50 000 region. It shows how popular this competition is becoming. What is even more impressive is the massive growth in broadcast viewership. The URC is one of the two best leagues in the World, the other being the Top14.
6 Go to commentsChristie is not Sottish, like the majority of the Scotland team.
2 Go to commentsHold the phone, decline over-rated. Is it a one game, dead cat bounce or the real thing? Has the Penney dropped? Stay tuned.
44 Go to commentsTotally deserved win for the Crusaders Far smarter than the Chiefs who seem to be avoiding the basics when it matters Hotham showed them what was missing and Hannah seems a real find - a tad light but that can be fixed over time
8 Go to commentsGreat insight into the performance culture with Sarries and I predict Christie will be a fixture in the Scotland team now for some time to come. However, he is slightly missing his own point around Scotland “being soft” when he cites physicality examples in defence of that slight. The issue is much closer to the example he referenced around feeling off before a game but being told “it doesn’t matter, you can still play well” by Farrell. Until Scotland can get their psyche in that square, they will carry on folding under extreme pressure…
2 Go to comments> We are having to adapt, evolve and innovate more than when we were in Super Rugby where there was only really one style that everybody had to play to gain the most success. Have = able to? Interesting what that one style might be? I thought SA sides still had bad tours now, or at least bad schedule, months away? Those extra few hours flights have to be a killer though, no surprise to see their sides doing so badly at the start of the season each year. I wouldn’t enjoy that unfairness as a supporter.
6 Go to commentsThe problem for NZ, and Aus, is they ripped up the SR model and lost a massive chunk of revenue that hasn’t been replaced. Don’t forget SA clubs went North because they were left with no choice, Argy unceremoniously binned and Japan cast adrift. Now SR wasn’t perfect, far from it, but they’ve jumped into something without an effective plan, so far, to replace what they’ve lost. The biggest revenue potential now lies in Japan but it won’t be easy or quick to unlock, they are incredibly insular in culture as a nation. In the meantime, there is a serious time bomb sitting under SH rugby and if it happens then the current financial challenges will look like a picnic. IF the Boks follow their provincial teams and head north then it’s revenue meltdown. Not guaranteed to happen but the status quo is a very odd hybrid, with the Boks pointing one way and the clubs pointing the other way. And for as long as that remains then the threat is real.
44 Go to commentsI think Etene has had some good tuition, likely while at the Warriors to be a professional that helped his rugby jump, but he was certainly thrown in the deep end way too early. Should have arguably 20 less SR caps, and therefor a way better record that he does at his age, but his development would have been fast tracked by the need to satiate his signing away from league. Again, credit to him and others that he has done it so well. Easy to fall over under that pressure in the big leagues like that but he kept at it when I myself wasn’t sure he was good enough.
1 Go to commentsAwesome story. I wonder what a bigger American (SA) scene might have mean for Brex.
1 Go to comments“Johnny McNicholl and the Crusaders” save a Penney. Who has been in camp this week and showed them how to play?
8 Go to commentsSo, reports of the Crusaders’ demise / terminal decline are perhaps just - slightly - premature/exaggerated…? 🤔 Will we see a deep-dive into that by the estimable Rugbypass scribes, and maybe one or two mea culpas? Thought not.
8 Go to comments1. The Chiefs are rudderless without DMac, which enhances his AB chances 2. Chiefs pack are powderpuffs. The hard men arent there anymore 3. They had their golden title chance last yr and wont threaten this yr. Gone in second round of playoffs.
8 Go to commentsHonestly, why did you have to publish such a foolish article the day they play us? 😂
44 Go to comments> They are not standalone entities. They are linked to an amateur association which holds the FFR licence that allows the professional side to compete in the league. That’s a great rule. This looks like the chicken or egg professional scenario. How long is it going to be before the club can break even (if that is even a thing in French rugby)? If the locals aren’t into well it would be good to se them drop to amateur level (is it that far?). Hope they can reset from this level and be more practical, there will be a time when they can rebuild (if France has there setup right).
1 Go to commentsWhat about changing the ball? To something heavier and more pointed that bounces unpredictably. Not this almost round football used these days.
35 Go to commentsThis is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?
35 Go to commentsWow, didn’t realise there was such apathy to URC in SA, or by Champions Cup teams. Just read Nick’s article on Crusaders, are Sharks a similar circumstance? I think SA rugby has been far more balanced than NZs, no?
4 Go to commentsBut here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.
44 Go to commentsIt could be coincidental or prescient that the All Blacks most dominant period under Steve Hansen was when the Crusaders had their least successful period under Todd Blackadder and then the positions reversed when Razor took over the Crusaders.
44 Go to commentsDefinitely sound read everybodyexpects immediate results these days, I don't think any team would travel well at all having lost three of the most important game changers in the game,compiled with the massive injury list they are now carrying, good to see a different more in depth perspective of a coaches history.
3 Go to comments