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'He's got something up his sleeve': How the Springboks view Gatland and his 2021 Lions
Rassie Erasmus believes the type of player Warren Gatland has included in his 2021 Lions squad suggests that the Springboks will encounter a very different type of a contest compared to the slugfest they fought out in Japan when they defeated Gatland’s old Wales side in the 2019 World Cup semi-final. The low-frills 19-16 showdown from two years ago in Yokohama was a forgettable affair as both sides tried to bludgeon each other into submission rather than look to entertain or take any risks.
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What Wales did was eventually not enough for them to squeeze past the Springboks and Erasmus now believes Gatland will alter his approach with the best talent from the four home nations at his disposal for a Test series that will begin in Cape Town on July 24.
“Even if I didn’t rate him high I would say on this interview I rate him high because it would be stupid to say he is not a good coach, but luckily I don’t have to lie,” said Springboks director of rugby Erasmus when asked for his thoughts on Gatland and what their relationship as rival coaches is like.
“We’re not friends, I don’t go and have a barbecue with him when I see him but he is one of those guys who I have always felt has the right intention when coaching… I enjoy him as a person and then we have got very similar mindsets in terms of coaching. That is why it is always such a weird tussle when we play out there.
“But the way Warren has picked this side and the way he has picked his support staff and his assistant coaches and the way he selected the squad with the Scottish backline players and Gregor (Townsend) in there, I think he has got something up his sleeve. I don’t think we’re going to see this battle of attrition, grinding it out like the semi-final in the World Cup.
Erasmus and Nienaber have fronted media 22 days after Gatland named his squad of 37 https://t.co/e1nG1nRy5P
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) May 28, 2021
“He has got other plans and with the tour also finishing with two high veldt games and with the loose forwards he has picked, he has got a few plans. And because he has done it so much coaching the Lions, he knows what are the pitfalls in getting guys to be aligned very quickly. The way he selected his team, his captain, his support staff especially his coaches and then his attack coach combined with who the Scottish guys are, we will definitely see a bit of changing in his game plan but he might be just throwing us some bait, I’m not sure.”
Jacques Nienaber, who will be the Springboks head coach for the series after his promotion from defence coach, added: “He [Gatland] has selected a well-balanced side. How many full-backs has he selected? If you look at one side of things you can go Stuart Hogg, Elliot Daly, Liam Williams, Anthony Watson and the others as well, Josh Adams and Louis Rees-Zammit, they are all good under the high ball. Duhan van der Merwe has improved a hell of a lot.
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“If you look at that side of things, they can go the aerial route but then, like Rassie rightly said, if you look at the magic of a Finn Russell, Ali Price, a good combination there, he has selected a well-balanced side. From my perspective, I agree with Rassie. We chatted about it on Thursday – it literally looks like he can go coast to coast and then adapt and go with a massive kicking game, going with a nine that can kick, a ten and if he plays (Owen) Farrell at 12 he has a kicking 12.
“He can go with a kicking game and he can go with a running game, I’m not sure. Like Rassie said, maybe he is just throwing us bait. I’m not sure what he can go with but it’s a well-balanced side. He can go either or so, it will be a nice challenge.”
The 37 players chosen by Warren Gatland to tour South Africa have had their first meet-up in London ?#Lions2021 #Lions
https://t.co/DJFIM2PyFQ— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) May 26, 2021
Comments on RugbyPass
Rest is for namby pamby sissies, I see. True men should overcome their trifling injuries by playing week in, week out. Bidwell’s stance reminds me of a Jon Gadsby character from the 70s, a rugby captain giving an after-match speech: “It was a very physical contest. One of our players caught a boot on the back of his head in a ruck, and he died, actually. But to his credit, he played on.”
1 Go to commentsI still see nothing in Sotutus play that hes changed his upright running style that failed so many times against decent international defences like the french. Other than that… Iose? Well you have covered his limitations well. If Sititi had been playing the the season… Jacobson? Grace?…Neither shout pick me. So Ardie it is.
1 Go to commentsThere isn’t one element you mentioned there that every top class or successful team gets up to. The great All blacks sides used to play on the ‘fringes or edge’ but it was essentially saying they were doing something illegal or borderline to gain dominance. The fine margins at the top are minute between the top sides. La Rochelle, the crusaders, Saracens, Toulon etc etc…..have all been accused. Get over it, the comment comes across as salty and naive. Northampton as well as they played to get back into the match were thoroughly beaten and controlled for 60 minutes and Leinster have only themselves to blame for kicking it away and hence losing control of the match and being nearly the architects of their own downfall.
2 Go to commentsThere is some talent coming thru thats for sure. The 10 looks special to me. Rico Simpson is a name to look for in the future.
1 Go to commentsI think this quiet honestly is just an innocent misunderstanding by someone who is pig sh*t stupid. Eben is a fine player but by christ, if he can’t understand or get what the Irish players were trying to say to him after the match…..well i hope he has someone looking after his finances, career and is reading the fine print for him, cause life after rugby may be quite difficult for the vacuous echo chamber.
27 Go to commentsIt could be Doris' day!
3 Go to commentsThe whole thing has blown up because Eben’s words have clearly struck a nerve in Ireland. Otherwise they would just laugh it off. I think some former Irish players, commentators and some Irish fans know deep down this Ireland team started to believe its own press and that a certain amount of arrogance had started to creep in during the World Cup. The topic was actually brought up by Irish pundits on Off the Ball recently. It’s fine to be arrogant if you can back it up. Ireland didn’t.
27 Go to comments‘The Irish are good people'. Why is Goode praising a people who hate his own? Wet wipe.
27 Go to commentsLa mejor final que se puede ver en el emisferio norte.
1 Go to commentsA lot of cope from south africans in the comments. Etzebeth is a liar and a hypocrite; you don’t have to defend him!
27 Go to commentsHe got big and really slow for a flyhalf…not sure he’s relevant in a bok conversation anymore
4 Go to commentsBest tourney team vs best team in the regular season for 3 games in RSA - talk is cheap, let’s see what’s what on the tour
27 Go to commentsOne overlooked statistic from their 2016 winning season is the Huricanes are still the only team in Super rugby history not to concede a try during the playoff rounds.
4 Go to commentsThanks for the article, Nick. The Nienaber blitz D does ask a lot of its scrumhalf. I have been watching JGP on D and he often looks like he has mastered what Nienaber asks for better than Faf de Klerk and Cobus Reinach! 🤣 Impressive season by JGP if I must make an understatement.
22 Go to commentsOkay last one. I promise. I think it’s despicable for Andy Goode to suggest that Eben can’t count to 12. To be fair he only had to count to 8 - the number of Irishmen who DIDN’T say that. Less the 3 kiwis of course. 23 - 12 - 3 = 8. See Joe. I can do maffs.
27 Go to commentsCheers, Nick! How do you see the Reds’ Jock Campbell’s play this year? Not as strong a carrier as Andrew Kellaway or Tom Wright, but does avoid errors. Do you see Joe Schmidt as wanting safety first at 15 or a try-assisting counterattacker?
91 Go to commentsI’m sure this was all just a big misunderstanding. Irishmen and Afrikaaners conversing in a noisey stadium. Not easy to get the right messages across. A minefield.
27 Go to commentsSay what you will about Andy Goode. But he is right about one thing… I’m not sure what that one thing is exactly… but I’m willing to hear him out.
27 Go to commentsAnother article to bait and trigger Irish fans. This must stop.
27 Go to commentsHi Nick. Thanks for your +++ ongoing analysis. Re Vunivalu, He’s been benched recently and it will be interesting to see what Kiss does with him as we enter the backend of SRP. I’m still not sold.
91 Go to comments