The seven-try victory not only wraps up the two-Test series in emphatic fashion but also gives Erasmus room to experiment further when the Boks face Georgia in Nelspruit.
Rassie Erasmus and his Springboks may have given the Italians a proper thrashing with their 45-0 victory in the second Test in Gqeberha this weekend, but not everyone thinks the Boks played to”the spirit of the game”.
The seven-try win emphatically seals the two-Test series, and it opens the door for Erasmus to experiment even further against Georgia in Nelspruit in the final mid-year match this coming Saturday.
It was this experimenting that has now gotten some rugby pundits a little miffed, especially the “fake line-out” in the middle of the field near the Italy line in the 51st minute, which seemed to stir more controversy.
At just a few metres out, Springbok scrumhalf delivered a pass in much the same fashion as a lineout with lock Ruan Nortje launching himself into the air as he gathered the ball. The resultant maul ended in a try for the Springboks, one of seven they scored on the night.
Sky Sports described the moves as “Springboks’ bizarre tactics as they play for scrum from kick-off and fake lineout-maul to score try.”
Rugby Inside Line on X described the move as: “Dull, and not in the spirit of the game. It might be ingenious, but that doesn’t make it fun in the long term.”
In an interesting turn, some claim that Paul Roos U19C pulled off the same move recently in a 48–0 win over Durbanville.
“Paul Roos U19C side executed the same sneaky maul setup — and scored. Coincidence? Or are the schoolboys teaching the Boks a thing or two?”
Whether it was truly a headbutt or just a very close chat is also being debated online, with some saying rugby has gone soft if they penalise him any further.
Check out the below for all the highlights and lowlights of this weekend’s game.
