Rassie Erasmus has declined the opportunity to meet with Georgian referee Nika Amashukeli before Saturday’s second Test against the All Blacks in Cape Town.
The Bok boss insists the current World Rugby protocol – which requires both head coaches to attend any pre-match meeting with the referee – makes the discussions virtually pointless.
Erasmus and All Blacks coach Dave Rennie both opted against meeting English referee Matthew Carley before the opening Test at Ellis Park, and nothing will change this week.
“In my opinion, it’s impossible to discuss something with the referee with the other coach present,” Erasmus said on Tuesday.
“I’m going to say, ‘Listen, we are concerned about this in the scrums,’ and he’s going to say, ‘But we do this in the scrums.’”
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Erasmus believes the meetings were originally intended to prepare referees for the tactical battles they could expect, but argues that purpose is lost when the opposition is in the room.
“You might say, ‘These guys really clean out well at the breakdown … will you be looking at that?’ But you can’t have that discussion in front of the referee because then the opposition coach knows that’s what you’re looking at.
“So what do you discuss with the referee? Boys, are you going to play within the laws? The laws of the game are the laws, so it’s almost impossible.”
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That doesn’t mean Erasmus is avoiding his New Zealand counterpart altogether.
“Dave and I had a beer [after the Ellis Park Test], and we’re going to try and catch up on Friday for a beer in Cape Town,” he said with a smile. “But without the referee.
“In my opinion, there’s no logic behind two coaches meeting together and discussing the laws with the referees.”
Photo: Daniel Hlongwane/Gallo Images
The post Why Rassie won’t meet with ref appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Rassie Erasmus has declined the opportunity to meet with Georgian referee Nika Amashukeli before Saturday’s second Test against the All Blacks in Cape Town.
The post Why Rassie won’t meet with ref appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
