VIDEO: Quesada perplexed by Springboks' kick-off 'error'
WATCH as Italy head coach Gonzalo Quesada shares his thoughts surrounding the Springboks’ controversial kick-off tactic.
The Boks raised eyebrows from the outset in the second Test against Italy when André Esterhuizen appeared to deliberately go in front of Manie Libbok, who took the kick-off, which resulted in a scrum to the visitors.
The tactic, however, backfired when prop Thomas du Toit gave away a free kick for an early push.
Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus admitted during the post-match conference that it was a planned move in order to get a set-piece play early on in the match.
“We wanted to get the scrum badly to get into the game early on.
“We felt last week that Italy got a lot of channel one balls at scrum time.
“We make a lot of little plans that sometimes don’t pay off, that people don’t know of.
“Sometimes people just see the things that do work, and this time it backfired against us.
“We had a plan, but then we had the free-kick against us.
“It was a good plan in theory, but a bad plan from a practical point of view.”
Quesada was less impressed and perplexed by the Boks’ tactics and felt that they didn’t need to go that route to get a result against the Azzurri.
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“I was really surprised, and I didn’t take it very well. I think they can beat us without resorting to these kinds of tactics.
“I think we were extremely respectful these last couple of weeks, with a lot of humility, coming to the ground, the land of the World Champions.
“It’s a land of rugby, a land where we get inspired, not just from today, but I came here for the first time in 1994 to 1998 with my club.
“I also visited South Africa so many times with the national team and coaching, and I love coming to South Africa, because it’s one of those countries where, when you’re a rugby fan, it’s so nice to be here.
“So, we know that when they prepared for this game, they decided to dominate us and show why they are the best team in the world, and we are, especially maybe with some inexperienced players, less so.
“But I was surprised, because I don’t know if it’s something we did or said that created that first move.
“I will only say that I was stunned, because I think they didn’t need to do that to beat us or to show us anything, but it’s part of their story, and it doesn’t concern us to analyse it.”
