The Springboks could face serious punishment if Rassie Erasmus repeats his controversial late team changes in competitions governed by stricter regulations.
South Africa caused a major stir ahead of their second Test against New Zealand when Erasmus made a series of changes to his starting XV, culminating in the entire front row being switched just an hour before kick-off.
However, a new report has revealed that attempting the same tactic at next year’s Rugby World Cup could result in a fine — while clubs could even be thrown out of competitions for similar breaches.
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World Rugby rules leave no room for Rassie tactic
According to The Times, coaches who copy Erasmus by making late tactical changes risk significant sanctions in major competitions.
World Rugby’s international match regulations state that unions must announce and exchange their starting XV and replacements before an international match.
At competitions including the Rugby World Cup, Six Nations and Nations Championship, late alterations are subject to much tighter controls.
The Times reports that if Erasmus — or another international coach — attempted the same manoeuvre at the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia, World Rugby would have the power to impose a fine.
The consequences can be even more dramatic at club level.
European competition organisers can bring misconduct charges for breaches of team announcement regulations, with possible sanctions including fines, points deductions and even disqualification from the competition.
How Erasmus exploited a grey area
The controversy erupted after a chaotic week of Springboks selection changes.
Erasmus initially named his team early before later bringing Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Cheslin Kolbe back into the starting side.
RTÉ reported that Handré Pollard had suffered a calf problem, allowing Feinberg-Mngomezulu to return at fly-half, while Kolbe was passed fit after initially missing out.
But Erasmus saved his biggest surprise for matchday.
Just before kick-off, Gerhard Steenekamp, Deon Fourie and Thomas du Toit were promoted from the bench, replacing Ox Nche, Malcolm Marx and Wilco Louw in the starting front row.
Erasmus subsequently explained that the decision was related to a change in the weather forecast, with RugbyPass reporting his explanation following the match.
Why were the Springboks allowed to do it?
Crucially, South Africa have not been sanctioned for their actions.
The Greatest Rivalry series is effectively a joint venture between the South African and New Zealand unions rather than being governed by the regulations of a tournament such as the Rugby Championship.
As the New Zealand Herald reported, that created a regulatory grey area which gave Erasmus far greater freedom to alter his selection.
But coaches considering copying the tactic elsewhere have now effectively been put on notice.
The Times reports that neither World Rugby nor Premiership Rugby is expected to tighten its regulations in response, with the existing rules considered strong enough to deter teams from following Erasmus’s example.
For the Springboks, it means the tactic that caused so much controversy against the All Blacks could come with a very different price if repeated on the World Cup stage.
