Rassie Erasmus: Where referees are officiating ’10 times better’ after ex-All Blacks guru’s involvement
Springboks scrum v Ireland and an inset of head coach Rassie Erasmus.
Rassie Erasmus says that the referees have significantly improved the officiating of a facet of the game, which has benefited the Springboks.
South Africa’s scrum has been a feature of the Boks team since 2018, playing a pivotal role in winning back-to-back Rugby World Cups and the British and Irish Lions series.
That trend continued into 2025 with the November international against Ireland proving to be a standout example.
The Springboks boss believes that the officiating around the set-piece has improved significantly in recent times, stating as much when discussing potential law changes that could occur before the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
Scrums are being officiated better
Recently, World Rugby chair Brett Robinson bemoaned how long it takes for alterations to be introduced, a view that Erasmus does not share. One of the ideas the Boks boss states is being tabled is a further depowering of the scrum, which he believes has greatly benefited from Mike Cron’s input, the former scrum coach of the All Blacks.
“There is some talk about taking the hit away in the scrums and letting guys pre-engage. I hope that doesn’t start to creep into the game,” the head coach said.
“The scrums got cleaned up just nicely now with Mike Cron being in charge of that. I think scrums are getting refereed 10 times better. The breakdown is sort of cleared out now, too.”
Still, Erasmus hopes that there won’t be any further changes to the lawbook before the Rugby World Cup because of the impact that it not only has on the game but also on player selection too.
“I think whatever they want to have clarity on, let’s not just do it 18 months out [from a World Cup],” he added.
“Again, with the calendar not being aligned, we finish playing in November, we won’t have the Six Nations next year, and those guys will play five games, and then we will be underdone.”
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Too late for law changes?
Furthermore, on the potential law changes, he hopes that the escorts will remain outlawed and discussed the implications of taking away some of the TMO’s powers.
“There is a lot of noise currently about the high ball, and there is too much kicking and people wanting certain laws to be changed again, where it’s actually obstruction with the glove or escorts, and it sounds like some people want to get that in,” he said.
“We wouldn’t like that, we feel it’s a skill in the air, and there are more tries being scored.
“There are some talks about the TMO’s involvement being too much. Would you want that to get the wrong result? A spectacular game, and the TMO didn’t get involved, but we are then on the wrong side, or Australia didn’t get the call because the TMO stayed out of it.
“I think if they get clarity on that before we go into a World Cup year, it will be great, but to have late law changes in a year prior to a World Cup, when you’re building continuity and players getting used to the way things are done. Hopefully, it isn’t a sudden change.
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“World Rugby chair Robinson said that the process of change is taking too long. In my opinion, let’s take the time and find out the consequences that might look cool, but the end result is that a player’s value in a certain position just gets taken away with a law change.
“Take Freddie Steward, if you take his ability in the air away with the escort or gloving, where you catch the ball in a vacuum, which is obstruction that World Rugby sorted out, but now if you bring that back in, it’s a game for all shapes and sizes, he is a tall full-back, maybe not the fastest but he is great in the air.”
