Erasmus and Rennie prepare for a tactical duel in the third test
South Africa’s and New Zealand’s national rugby teams will play the third match of their four-test series on Saturday at Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg. The winner will take a 2:1 lead ahead of the final game of the series in Baltimore, United States, Daily Maverick reports.
Dispute over scrums
All Blacks head coach Dave Rennie said last week that Springboks players “walk around the scrum” to gain an unfair advantage in this aspect of the game. The publication notes that the South African team has dominated scrums in previous seasons and has won seven penalties in this area during the current test series.
Springboks scrum coach Daan Human said the team’s set-piece strategy has not changed since he joined the coaching staff in 2020. According to him, the team adheres to the principle of a powerful and direct scrum. Human also called the scrum an important part of South Africa’s rugby identity.
Nika Amashukeli will officiate the match. Daily Maverick noted that his work at scrums, mauls and the contest for the ball after contact could affect the course of the game. Rassie Erasmus expressed confidence that Amashukeli would be more decisive than Angus Gardner was in the previous match.
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Clash of styles
In the first two tests, the Springboks had an advantage in set pieces and aerial contests, while the All Blacks’ fast style brought New Zealand nine tries. The publication describes this as a collision of different playing approaches.
Erasmus acknowledged that Rennie outcoached him in the first test. In the second match, New Zealand’s counter-strategy in the second half nearly brought the All Blacks another victory. At the same time, Siya Kolisi, Eben Etzebeth, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and other players are regaining form for the Springboks after lengthy injuries.
A separate issue for Erasmus remains the use of the Bomb Squad bench, which, in the publication’s assessment, was unable to fully influence the first two tests. Both teams will seek to execute their plans more accurately to gain an advantage in the series before its finale in the United States.
