Rassie Erasmus is under renewed scrutiny after changing South Africa’s entire starting front row only an hour before their match against France, prompting calls for World Rugby to explain whether the move breached regulations.
The alterations were confirmed on Friday, 13 November, before kick-off at the Stade de France. Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Gerhard Steenekamp and Thomas du Toit were promoted from the replacements to the starting XV, while Ox Nche, Malcolm Marx and Wilco Louw moved to the bench.
South Africa had originally named Nche, Marx and Louw as their front three on Monday, with Wessels, Steenekamp and Du Toit among the replacements.
The late reshuffle did not produce the desired result. The Springboks were beaten 21-19 by France, suffering their first defeat in Paris in 21 years.
According to Wales Online, the decision has led supporters and pundits to question whether South Africa acted within the spirit of the game. There have also been suggestions that the team could face disciplinary action if the changes are found to have breached World Rugby’s regulations.
A South African Rugby statement gave Erasmus’ explanation for the switch. He said: “We waited until the captains run on Thursday to decide and even then, we were not sure if we should, but we decided shortly before the game, and it was mainly with testing that combination with the Rugby World Cup next year in mind”.
The South Africa coach used a similar approach during the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series against New Zealand, when he also replaced the entire starting front row shortly before kick-off. That decision was reportedly linked to the weather forecast, with the Springboks believing the alternative combination would be better suited to the conditions.
The dispute centres on World Rugby Regulation 15.1.2, which requires participating unions to announce and exchange their starting XV and up to eight replacements 48 hours before kick-off in an international match.
Major competitions, including the Rugby World Cup, also set out strict procedures for late changes. Such amendments are generally limited to defined circumstances, including genuine medical reasons.
The regulations have raised questions over whether a player already named among the replacements can be moved into the starting XV shortly before a match, given that the player is already included in the matchday 23.
World Rugby can impose fines if a coach breaches the regulations or other agreements governing the announcement of teams.
Erasmus’ latest decision has intensified calls for World Rugby to clarify exactly what is permitted, particularly in the Nations Championship. The central issue is whether named replacements can be promoted late and, if so, under which conditions.
World Rugby had not issued a specific clarification on the incident at the time of publication.
