Warren Gatland told rivals to report Springboks to World Rugby
Rugby NewsThursday, 20 August 2026 at 20:31
Warren Gatland once urged a rival team to raise concerns with World Rugby over a controversial Springboks tactic.
His comments have resurfaced with South Africa preparing for another huge showdown with the All Blacks this weekend.
And it wasn't the only time the former Wales and British & Irish Lions boss made a major claim about the Springboks.
Warre Gatland raised Springboks concerns
Ahead of England's 2023 Rugby World Cup semi-final against South Africa, Gatland questioned the number of Head Injury Assessments involving Springbok players.
He urged Steve Borthwick to raise the issue before the game.
Gatland wrote: “If I was Steve, I would be asking some questions about the number of head injury assessments that South Africa called for in their victory against France.”
However, he stopped short of suggesting the assessments weren't genuine.
He added: “I am not questioning whether they were legitimate or not.”
Gatland nevertheless believed England should flag what they had seen, adding: “I would certainly be putting it out there and highlighting that it looked unusual and raising questions about the protocol.”
He also warned Borthwick about South Africa's “dark arts” ahead of the semi-final.
The Springboks eventually edged England 16-15 before beating New Zealand 12-11 in the final.
Warren Gatland's spying claim
Gatland later made another major claim involving the Springboks.
In 2025, he alleged South Africa had spied on Lions training during the 2021 tour.
“Our concern was that they were using a long-range lens to video us from somewhere nearby,” Gatland claimed.
It wasn't the only controversy surrounding that series, with Gatland left furious after the Lions team was leaked before the opening Test.
He said the Lions became so concerned they eventually moved training indoors.
Warren Gatland added: “We still felt we were being filmed.”
Springboks boss Rassie Erasmus strongly rejected the allegations, describing them as hearsay and misinformation.
Now South Africa and New Zealand are preparing to renew their rivalry, putting Gatland's previous comments back into focus.
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