Rassie Erasmus launched a furious response to All Blacks boss Dave Rennie after the Springboks were accused of using illegal tactics at scrum-time.
The war of words erupted after South Africa secured a dramatic 33-26 victory over New Zealand at DHL Stadium in Cape Town, levelling Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series at 1-1.
Follow Rugby News from RUCK on WhatsApp:
The Springboks were actually outscored four tries to three, but Cheslin Kolbe proved decisive with a flawless kicking display, contributing 18 points as the hosts held off a late All Blacks fightback.
New Zealand had won the opening Test 33-16 in Johannesburg, meaning attention now turns to a huge third meeting between the sides next weekend.
However, much of the post-match discussion centred on the scrum rather than the result.
All Blacks raise concerns
Rennie had already raised concerns over South Africa’s scrummaging before the second Test and revealed afterwards that New Zealand intended to provide further feedback to World Rugby.
The All Blacks boss felt referee Angus Gardner had handled the set-piece better in Cape Town, but maintained there were issues with the Springboks’ technique.
“It is still a bit of an issue for us because they [Springboks] are able to walk around and go straight through our tightheads,” Rennie said.
“I think Angus was pretty strong around setting a mark and then trying to keep the hookers in the same sort of spacing.
“If the Springboks moved across further left, then he stopped them.
“We will ask a bit of feedback around that. And there's a couple of little technical things that we will share again [with World Rugby's match officials].”
The scrum had been a major talking point following the opening Test, when South Africa won six penalties in the area. In Cape Town, however, the Springboks earned just one scrum penalty as New Zealand enjoyed considerably more success at the set-piece.
Erasmus hits back
When Rennie’s comments were put to Erasmus, the Springboks boss immediately rejected the accusation.
“Well, we've been playing with a pack of these guys together, it's the first time ever in history that people are talking about us walking around,” he said.
“Why would we want to start a walk around in this [Test]?
“At the first six scrums for New Zealand, every single one collapsed and it was reset, reset, reset, reset, so why is it only on their ball that the scrum can't collapse every single time?”
Erasmus then accused the All Blacks of attempting to influence the narrative around the officiating.
“I don't come with that nonsense and saying we're walking around and trying to put things out in the media.
“If I'm starting to put things out, well the last lineout was skew and we contested. I'm not going to moan my arse off about that, so if you just want to start moaning about stuff like that then you are under pressure.”
‘We’re not f****** walking around’
The Springboks boss also pointed towards alleged head contacts across the opening two Tests which he felt South Africa could have complained about.
“Last week we didn't moan. There was clear head contacts a lot of times and today in the first forty there was four head contacts and nothing was done about it.
“Don't try and convince the people [referees and public] through the media because that was what happened in the first week. They tried to convince the people in the media we're slowing the game down and we were not.
“If the referees get caught up by that then there's obviously a plan to get that message out and then we're not going to stay quiet and just say, ‘Oh you're right, we're walking around’.”
Erasmus then finished with an emphatic denial of Rennie’s accusation.
“We're not f****** walking around, we're just coming through [the middle]. We've never ever been accused of walking around so I don't understand it.”
Erasmus later apologised for his language, but not the substance of his response.
Despite the heated exchange, Erasmus was far more complimentary about New Zealand when assessing the actual contest, describing Rennie’s side as a “brilliant team” and warning the Springboks they will need to improve again.
The series is now level at 1-1 ahead of the third Test in Johannesburg next Saturday, before the four-match showdown concludes in Baltimore on September 12.
Related RUCK stories
- All Blacks fans demand Cheslin Kolbe ban after footage emerges: https://tinyurl.com/yp68vne4
- Three All Blacks who flopped against the Springboks in the second Test: https://tinyurl.com/dehfunfc
- World Rugby rankings updated after Springboks defeat All Blacks: https://tinyurl.com/bddp2yse
TRENDING
LATEST NEWS
LATEST COMMENTS
- Jordie Barrett over Damian de Allende is far from being correct. The hype around Dupont is also overreaching, he's probably 4th in the world and has been since the 2023 WC. He also avoids certain matchups which is strange. The rest of the list is pretty good apart from minor subjective biases.JasonMarlow16-09-2026
Loading