Erasmus Shares Kolisi And Ox Injury Updates

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus says his team is just as excited as the rest of the country about the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Series, with the countdown to their opening Test against the All Blacks at 10bet Ellis Park on Saturday well underway.

Erasmus and SA Rugby laws advisor Jaco Peyper delved into the technical aspects of the match at Monday’s media conference.

“We looked forward to these games as much as you did when you were asking about them while we were playing the other matches,” said Erasmus.

“We just couldn’t talk about it out of respect for the opposition at the time. We all appreciate and respect what this series means. I’d love it if the people at Ellis Park create the same atmosphere as the one in Cape Town. The haka was heard 100%, which makes it something special.

“We know how good the All Blacks are. Since 2018, when they were leading the world, we’ve always wondered when they’re going to beat us again, and they will beat us again in the future, but hopefully not this weekend.

“Some guys will face the All Blacks for the first time, and they’ve heard from their teammates how intense it is. This is a great occasion and we’re all looking forward to it.”

Erasmus, who will name his team on Thursday, said the only two injury concerns in the squad at this stage are regular captain Siya Kolisi and prop Ox Nche. However, he gave a clean bill of health to the rest of his squad at their training camp in Johannesburg.

“The only two doubtful players are Siya and Ox, who are coming along well,” said Erasmus.

“I wouldn’t say either is confirmed out, but if they get through training today, it could go either way. Apart from those two, everybody else is available.”

Turning his attention to the match, Erasmus dismissed suggestions in the media that South African teams have been deliberately slowing down play.

“There are always three truths: New Zealand’s truth, the truth people believe, and our truth,” he said.

“In our last two games against New Zealand in Auckland and Wellington, people can go and look at those games and ask whether we were slowing those down. They beat us in Auckland, and we got a good result in Wellington.

“We believe there’s a certain way to win big games, and we think it will be a grind. When you’re under pressure and you attack, it’s tough to maintain cohesion, so we’ll try to find a balance when games are really tight, but we have a system to fall back on that protects the players.

“Since Tony Brown, the former All Black fly-half and current Springbok assistant coach, has been with us, we feel as though we’ve been on the right track. But we always want to keep something to fall back on when the pressure is really on.”

Peyper backed up Erasmus’ comments regarding reports about South African sides slowing down play and explained how the laws apply at set pieces.

“The law is very clear. From the moment the referee puts his foot down to mark the spot – not from the whistle, but from when the foot goes down – there are 30 seconds to form a lineout or scrum. Not to get the ball in, but to form it.

“We have to adhere to that, and we train for it. You can do whatever you want inside those 30 seconds. There’s nothing in the law that says you can’t idle before the mark is given.

“Once the referee gives the mark, the 30 seconds starts. Even if you attempt a quick throw-in after the referee has made his mark, the clock is already ticking. However, if the defending team is ready to play, they don’t have to wait for you. That’s where the pressure comes.

“The narrative about slowing down at set pieces at altitude is something I’ve seen. I’ve refereed many Super Rugby games where travelling teams slow down the game, but you can also slow down the game by continuously infringing at the breakdown or maul and breaking the game tempo that way.

“The good thing is there are strong referees in these matches with clear guidelines.”

Peyper also expressed his confidence in the match officials appointed for the Tests, saying the laws would be applied consistently.

“These three referees for the series were appointed based on experience and what they’ve done in the last 12 months. They are incredibly strong characters and won’t be pushed around.

“They get annoyed when teams try to tell them how to referee because they’ve earned the right to be here and they know the game.

“What you know with Matthew [Carley] is that you’re going to have a firm referee, someone who deals decisively at the breakdown and is very strong on anything negative or cynical. And he does not get influenced by the home crowd.”

Commenting on what they expect from the All Blacks in Saturday’s Test, Erasmus said: “You can see it on social media. They’re advocating a high-intensity, running game with multi-phase attacks. And when you analyse it, it definitely shows in the stats.

“Dave [Rennie, All Blacks head coach] is very sharp. I coached against him with Munster against Glasgow. The big battle is going to be when they have the ball, they’ll have total control of what they do with it, and when we have the ball, we’ll have total control of what we do with it. Neither team can tell the other how to use the ball.

“What concerns us most is how physical and brutal they are at the breakdown. They take the ball through so many phases and then put in a well-timed grubber kick. Their attacking kicks are as dangerous as when they have the ball in hand.

“They’ll have plans they didn’t show in the Nations Championship, little things such as lineout variations, maybe a front peel or back peel move, and there are things that have caught us out before.”

The match kicks off at 17:10 and will be broadcast live on SuperSport.