Rassie Erasmus played the role of waterboy, giving instructions to his South African players during the 2021 Lions Test series. Photo: Getty Images/Ashley Vlotman
Whispers, but I think England can beat the Springboks… as long as they don't let Rassie Erasmus control the agenda this week.
I know what it's like to go toe-to-toe with the director of the South African rugby team, and my advice to Steve Borthwick is to make sure he goes to the front line — and fight all the dark arts. .
Rassie has already tried to gain a psychological advantage and sow the seeds of doubt by saying on Tuesday that he believes Borthwick's team will reach the semi-finals on Saturday.
To have any chance against the Springboks, you must try not only to match them physically, but also to be tactically smart and not show any signs of mental weakness.
So this week it will be important for Steve to send out messages to his players about how he wants them to play, what they expect from the Springboks and what areas they have worked hard on to nullify opposition resistance.
< p >Issues can also be raised sensitively to highlight problem areas from a judging perspective. For example, if I were Steve, I would ask some questions about the number of head injury assessments South Africa required in their win over France.
I have no doubt whether they were legal or not, but there were people who speculated about it, and I would certainly put it out there and highlight that it looks unusual and raises questions about protocol.
< p>Rassie is very good at making comments that include both praise and raising an issue or message he wants to convey. During this World Cup, we have already seen how he spoke in France, inviting his players to engage in simulation.
I used to think that he and I had a pretty good relationship. When Wales played South Africa in their first game in charge in Washington DC in June 2018, and then we went out for a beer together.
And when they beat us in the World Cup semi-final in Japan. in 2019, I went into their dressing room, congratulated him and his players on their victory and wished them all the best in the final.
But everything changed during the Lions tour. I guess I am somewhat of a romantic towards Leos.
I see this as a celebration of rugby, a moment where rugby can speak and engage fans. We had no fans on the 2021 tour due to the Covid pandemic and given the circumstances, I felt even more strongly that it was our responsibility to make this tour a celebration of rugby and giving people something to celebrate in return. at home.
Erasmus' pushed the envelope when it came to fielding excellence during the 2021 Lions series in South Africa. Photo: Getty Images/David Rogers
But as I discovered in New Zealand in 2017, the South African attitude was one of winning at all costs, where the end justifies any means. I think we need to keep that in mind going forward and make sure that the integrity of rugby is at the forefront.
We initially had a problem with Ressy acting like a water boy during games and delivering messages. to your players. I joked that if he was going to act like a «water boy» perhaps he should at least have some water in his bottle.
This ultimately led to World Rugby changing the following year laws and prohibited coaching staff from entering the field as water bearers.
Despite this, we continued to have problems with messages received on the field during live games. through your physical therapist.
The two coaches' booths at the stadium were close enough that we could hear everything that was happening and the flow of information going onto the field.
There was one period during the Test series when she was about three meters from the goal line, monitoring the play and shouting at the players in their defence.
Medics are not allowed to be in the dead ball area, they must simply move up and down the sideline to be able to quickly respond to any injuries.
They are certainly not intended to stand behind the game or intrude on the playing field for the sole purpose of conveying messages from the coaching staff. I just don't think it's an acceptable part of the game.
If I were Steve this week, I'd be asking how to properly manage it. We all use messages through our helpdesk during breaks in play, but it's a different story when those messages are shouted out during a live game.
The worst of all was his scathing video analysis of the umpiring during our victory in the first Test, which was allegedly leaked online. I have no doubt that the video had an impact on the judging for the rest of the series.
To be fair, Rassie came up to me before our match against South Africa in Cardiff and apologized for what happened during the Lions match.
I just thanked him. We didn't talk long, but I appreciated what he said. I think, upon reflection, he realized that he had overdone it during the tour.
However, South Africa is still constantly pushing the boundaries of the laws of the game. We've seen them opt for a 7/1 forward/back ratio on the bench. There is nothing against the laws of the game in this, even if people may not agree with it. They always look for an advantage for the benefit of their team. And if not, then no.
Who knows what will happen this week, but I expect the Springboks will be agonizingly concerned that England have reached the semi-finals completely under the radar and without any mental approach. and the physically draining tests they endured against Ireland and France.
In my experience against South Africa, you need to match them in the areas they will target rather than try to play too much rugby. If you can arm wrestle like we did against them in the semi-finals four years ago, you can stay in the game long enough to put pressure on them. England made a mistake in the final four years ago by trying to play too much, but they are a smarter team now.
And they have players with more experience and I think they have a couple of big games in them . Guys like Owen Farrell won't be put off by the Boks. England may not have been in their best form during the group stages, but I think the bigger games will get the best out of them. And they have the physical strength at set-pieces and the kicking game to really challenge the Springboks.
There seems to be an expectation that South Africa will win the game comfortably, but I think that England.
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