Director of rugby in South Africa Rassie Erasmus says he is min gespin about the rest of the world moaning about his team’s 7-1 split on the replacements bench.
The Springboks shook the rugby world to its core when they withdrew replacement back Willie le Roux from the match-23 against New Zealand two weeks ago and replaced him with a forward Kwagga Smith.
With the decision ahead of their 35-7 annihilation of the All Blacks, South Africa completely destroyed rugby norm leading to a number of people in the game moaning about player safety because of players playing out of position en wie weet wat nog afterwards.
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— Springboks (@Springboks) September 2, 2023
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But it was a warning from the Springbok camp ahead of the start of the Rugby World Cup in France this week that ‘you ain’t seen nothing yet’.
With their 6-2 “Bomb Squad” taking the world by storm and helping SA to the 2019 title, Erasmus says of mense hating on his latest innovation: “We are in a bit of a bubble here [in Toulon] and focusing on what we’re trying to do.
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— Springboks (@Springboks) September 3, 2023
“We can’t really care about opinions of other teams, we’re just staying within the laws of the game.
“For us it’s the best what works for us and that won’t be the same every weekend. It’s what’s best for South Africa and the Springboks.”
South Africa face Scotland in their tournament opener in Marseille on Saturday and while he is keeping his cards close to his chest, Erasmus says mense musn’t be surprised if they opt for the 7-1 again at some point during the tournament.
He adds of the noise the bench choice created: “
“You know, if it was something that we did wrong, obviously that would have been something that bothered me.
The #Springboks’ French journey has started in Toulon 🇫![CDATA[]]>🇷#StrongerTogether pic.twitter.com/URtb1UUi4H
— Springboks (@Springboks) September 3, 2023
“But I mean, if you follow all the laws and the protocols…
“I’m not surprised because obviously it’s something a bit new.”
He adds: “If we get the opportunity… we will use it again when the situation is right and we think the opposition might not be able to handle it.”