VIDEO: Rennie responds to Boks as 'slowing down play' debate intensifies
Rassie Erasmus’s decision to have laws adviser Jaco Peyper alongside him in front of the media ahead of the Greatest Rivalry opener at Ellis Park on Saturday was quite telling.
Erasmus explained the decision as a chance to shut down a narrative that has been building around South Africa’s desire to slow the game down.
The duo made it clear that this was not the case, explaining that the Springboks were playing within the laws and in line with the outcomes of the Shape of the Game meeting held earlier this year.
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New Zealand, meanwhile, has been driving this “slowing down play” narrative since arriving in South Africa.
Head coach Dave Rennie was vocal about it after their match with the Stormers, while assistant coach Tana Umaga echoed his sentiments just after the Sharks game.
Ahead of the Bulls clash, which the All Blacks won 50-19, tour captain Codie Taylor told Rugby365 that referees would be important in determining the pace of matches.
The debate around the pace of the game resurfaced at the All Blacks press conference, when Rennie was asked whether he expected Saturday’s Test to be slowed down by the contrasting styles of the two teams.
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“I’m not sure what Jaco [Peyper] will be referring to,” he said.
“We’ve played club sides where it’s been very slow. I think one of the lineouts against the Sharks took 50 seconds to set.
“We found against the Bulls that they had a much more positive mindset. There was a lot more ball on play, and I’m anticipating the Springboks will feel the same way.”
Rennie also confirmed that he and Erasmus will not be meeting with referees ahead of the first Test.
England’s Matthew Carley will be the man in charge of the first Test, with fellow Englishman Karl Dickson and Georgia’s Nika Amashukeli assisting him.
“No,” Rennie said when asked whether they would be meeting with the referees.
“For us to do that, we both have to agree. They sent out an email last week to just have a chat around four key areas and one of them was around time wasting.
“Rassie didn’t feel there was any need to meet, and I feel the same way, to be honest.
“We’ve had conversations via email, and we’ve got a summary sent to us this morning [Monday], so we’re pretty clear.”
Shifting his attention to Saturday’s game, Rennie said his side will be ready after the three outings against the Stormers, Sharks and Bulls.
“We’ll be ready; we’ve learnt a lot over the last three games.
“We’ve played a lot of players; they’ve got good minutes, which has been good for us. There have been some genuine high-quality performances from individuals, and that’s put a lot of pressure on us.
“When we name our side, we’re going to leave out some really good players, but in four Tests, we will end up using 30-odd players anyway.
“The guys who don’t get their opportunity this week will get a crack at some stage during the series.”
While acknowledging the way the Springboks have influenced the pace and style of the game, Rennie said the All Blacks’ focus would remain on themselves.
The overriding message from Rennie was that the All Blacks will need to be at their best while forcing the Boks below their best.
“We’ve got a massive focus on us and what we need to do, but we’re aware of where they can hurt us.
“We’re not looking for certain areas where we think they might throw something special at us. I’m sure they’ve had a good look; we’ve played three games over here and three tests earlier on, and they’ve got a couple of positive selection headaches as well.”
Rennie will name his team to face the Springboks on Thursday.
