Springbok Scrum Coach Fires Back At All Blacks Over Illegal Tactics Accusations
Springbok scrum coach Daan Human has admitted that he took the criticism surrounding South Africa’s scrummaging personally, insisting that he has never coached his players to “walk around” an opposition scrum.
The controversy erupted during the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series after All Blacks head coach Dave Rennie raised concerns about the Springboks’ scrum technique, with accusations that South Africa were deliberately manipulating the set-piece by moving around their opponents.
Rassie Erasmus has strongly rejected those claims, while Human has now offered his own emphatic defence of the methods that have helped make the Springboks one of the most feared scrummaging teams in world rugby.
“I did take it to heart, to be honest with you, because that’s just not what we do,” Human said.
“I’m not trying to justify anything here. We try to take it straight through the middle. It is straightforward. It is according to the laws.”
For Human, the suggestion that he would coach his players to deliberately scrum illegally strikes at the very principles on which he has built his coaching career.
“I have never coached that,” he said of the accusation that the Springboks walk around the scrum.
“I actually want us to go forward on both sides and with the whole scrum. It’s not actually ideal for us to walk around.”
Human also pointed to his upbringing as one of the reasons the allegations struck a particular nerve.
“We always try to do everything 100 per cent by the book. That’s the way I have been brought up. I am a farmer. I’m just a normal, straight guy – I can’t cheat.”
Rather than allowing the controversy to distract the Springboks, Human says his scrum unit will continue working on precision ahead of the third Test against New Zealand.
“We will work even harder to be precise in what we are doing,” he said. “I can’t go around the corner – it has to be straightforward scrum dominance.”
Human also acknowledged that the intricacies of the scrum are not always easy to understand from the outside, particularly with the debate having exploded across social media and the rugby media.
“It looks like every second guy is becoming our scrum coach now,” he joked.
The Springbok scrum remains one of the defining strengths of South African rugby, and Human believes that dominance should come from technique, power and precision rather than any attempt to manipulate the set-piece.
With the third Test looming at FNB Stadium, Human and his pack will have the perfect opportunity to let their scrummaging do the talking.
