Rassie rejects All Blacks ‘fast rugby’ narrative ahead of Ellis Park
VIDEO: Rassie Erasmus has rejected the suggestion that the Springboks and All Blacks are divided by a simple battle between fast, attacking rugby and a South African desire to slow the game down, insisting there is more than one way to play and win the game.
The Springbok coach was speaking ahead of the opening Test of the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series at Ellis Park on Saturday, after the All Blacks’ victories over the Stormers, Sharks and Bulls.
New Zealand’s latest success was particularly emphatic, with Dave Rennie’s side beating the Bulls 50-19 at Loftus Versfeld last weekend.
The All Blacks have made no secret of their desire to play a high-tempo, high-intensity game, with assistant coach Tana Umaga recently calling for the game to be sped up.
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That has helped create a narrative that New Zealand represent the future of attacking rugby, while the Springboks are more comfortable winning through pressure, physicality and control.
Erasmus, however, suggested the reality is more nuanced.
“Well, I think there’s always three truths, you know. New Zealand’s truth, your truth, the world’s truth, and then what we believe,” Erasmus said.
“The truth, the waarheid is Afrikaans word for truth. But the waarheid is our last two games against New Zealand in Auckland and in Wellington.”
Those recent encounters, Erasmus argued, do not necessarily support the idea that South Africa are simply intent on slowing games down.
“Were those slow games?” he asked.
New Zealand won the first of those matches in Auckland before the Springboks responded in Wellington.
“And then we got a good one in the second one,” Erasmus said.
The Springbok coach also rejected the idea that there is a specific formula for winning World Cups, saying his team believes pressure is ultimately what determines how a game unfolds.
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“I don’t think we think there’s a certain way you win World Cups, and we think that’s a grind,” Erasmus said.
“We think when you’re under pressure on your attack, it’s really tough to keep cohesion if the pressure is really big.”
Erasmus explained that even teams intent on playing expansive rugby can be forced into a more structured approach when the pressure mounts.
“You start fumbling a few balls and then you stick to your guns,” he said.
The Springboks, he added, have worked on finding a balance between attacking ambition and having a system to fall back on when matches become tight.
“And we try to find the balance between that and when games are really, really clutch and crunch, that you have a system to fall back onto,” Erasmus said.
He believes that system can also give players confidence when the pressure is at its highest.
“Since Tony [Brown] has been with us, you know, we feel we’re attacking right, we feel we’re doing not too badly.”
Asked whether he had noticed a change in the All Blacks under Rennie, particularly in terms of their speed and style of play, Erasmus acknowledged that New Zealand have been very clear about their intentions.
“I mean, they’re not hiding it; everybody’s talking about it.”
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