Dave Rennie says New Zealand are not trying to create controversy or influence match officials as debate over South Africa’s scrum continues before Saturday’s decisive third Test at FNB Stadium in Soweto.
The Springboks levelled the four-Test series at 1-1 with a 33-26 victory over the All Blacks in Cape Town last weekend. Although South Africa deserved the win, discussion after the match quickly focused on comments made by both coaches rather than the result itself.
Rennie appeared to accuse the Springboks of walking around or wheeling at scrum time in order to gain an advantage at the set-piece. Rassie Erasmus, South Africa’s coach, reacted angrily to the suggestion that his front row was scrummaging illegally and used a profanity during his own post-match media conference.
The exchange triggered a week-long debate about the legality of South Africa’s scrum tactics, whether Erasmus was deliberately testing the limits of what is permitted and whether New Zealand had used the media to draw the officials’ attention to the issue ahead of the third Test.
But Rennie was reluctant to add to the discussion when asked directly on Thursday whether he believed the Springboks’ approach was legal.
“Do I bother giving this any more air?” he said, pausing before continuing. “I got asked that question in the media and I said what I thought. It’s funny about our game, eh? You can look at all aspects of the game and what one guy sees happening on one side of a ruck is different to what someone else sees.”
The New Zealand coach confirmed that both teams had raised their concerns with the relevant officials during the week.
“We’ve made comments, we’ve shared stuff with the officials,” Rennie explained. “The Springboks have done the same thing. It’s now up to the referee and his support staff to referee what he sees in front of him.”
Rennie also rejected the suggestion that the All Blacks had deliberately created a storyline to put pressure on the match officials before the third meeting between the sides.
“We’re certainly not going out of our way to create narratives and things like that.”
He played down the idea that his remarks had damaged his relationship with Erasmus or created a personal dispute between the two coaches. Rennie said the pair had spoken privately after the match in Cape Town.
“Rassie and I had a beer immediately after the game [in Cape Town], which was good,” he said.”I’ve said a couple of things, he’s said a couple of things, that’s footy. I don’t see it as a war of words between him and I.”
With the series tied, Saturday’s match carries significant importance for both teams. However, Rennie emphasised that the respect between the players had not been affected by the intensity of the contest or the arguments that followed the second Test.
“There’s a huge amount of respect amongst their players and our players,” he said.
The two squads will meet again after the third Test, with the series-deciding fourth match scheduled to take place in Baltimore on 12 September. The All Blacks and Springboks are due to share a chartered flight to the United States, a prospect Rennie addressed with a smile.
“Someone’s going to be grumpy getting on a plane,” Rennie said.
WIN R5 000: Take The South African’s Winter Reader Survey
