Schalk Burger suggests World Rugby backtracks on officiating policy over coaching ‘paranoia’ amid Greatest Rivalry controversy
Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus and an inset of legendary flanker Schalk Burger
Springboks legend Schalk Burger has suggested that World Rugby U-turn on the decision to change officiating protocol in the wake of the verbal altercation between Rassie Erasmus and Dave Rennie.
Previously, international coaches were able to discuss matters with the officials on a one-to-one basis before the game, but now there must be representatives on both sides if a meeting is to take place.
Erasmus has argued that it has effectively made those discussions pointless and, as a result, there has been no pre-match conversation with the refs.
What countries do is send in clips and receive feedback, but World Rugby have tried to clamp down on coaches using meetings to, in effect, try and influence the officials ahead of the clash.
Using the media to influence officials
That is completely understandable from the governing body, but it has perhaps led to the likes of Erasmus and Rennie airing their grievances in public.
There was a back-and-forth between the Boks and All Blacks bosses before and after the Cape Town clash, while comments from both camps ahead of the first Test put unnecessary pressure on referee Matthew Carley.
“A lot of those frustrations come with the fact they can’t talk to the referees anymore, so they’ve got to voice their opinion, or whatever they’re driving for the week – if that’s shifting at scrum-time with Dave Rennie trying to blame the South African scrum – it’s got to happen in the media,” Burger said on the Boks Unpacked podcast.
“So too the time-wasting and so too the riposte from the Springboks. If they’ve got to go down that way, maybe they should go back to talking to the referees on a Friday if it’s going to calm the paranoia for the coaches.
“There’s always drama in these big series.”
All Blacks the instigators
The Springboks have argued that the All Blacks have been the instigators, starting with the narrative that the hosts want to slow the game down.
“Shots had been fired way before this team change, let’s be honest,” former Springbok and the show’s host, Hanyani Shimange, said. “The slowing down narrative; out of all the teams that have come to South Africa, this is the first time we hear that the Springboks slow the game down.”
Another ex-South Africa star, Jean de Villiers, also had his say having seen both the Boks and All Blacks engage in this verbal warfare.
While it creates discussion, there are concerns that it can take away from the enthralling on-field battle between the two sets of players.
“I think it’s very easy to point fingers and throw stones, but if you’re in that glass house, that is very difficult. I think both sides have pushed the envelope a little bit,” De Villiers added.
