South Africa have been accused of flouting the laws and of a "flagrant breach of the spirit of the game" after head coach Rassie Erasmus made three changes to the starting team he had announced just an hour before kick-off against New Zealand.
Erasmus swapped out the entire front row that had been named earlier in the week in an apparent attempt to gain an advantage on the All Blacks close to the start of the match. Such a move would be against the laws in World Rugby competitions such as the World Cup, but the Springboks coach exploited the fact the Greatest Rivalry series has been organised by the two teams and is not overseen by SANZAAR. As such, Erasmus was not technically bound by the normal rules that dictate sides must be named at least 48 hours before kick-off, with changes only allowed afterwards in the event of injuries.
Late changes under scrutiny
Nevertheless, the world champions' actions have come under scrutiny after other changes were also made on Friday, four days after the initial team announcement on Monday. Erasmus insisted he had done nothing wrong, explaining he made the last-minute switches because forecast rain did not arrive before kick-off and he wanted to start with a lighter front row.
All Blacks coach Dave Rennie refused to become involved in a public row about the whole situation, but the New Zealand Herald accused Erasmus of flouting the laws of the game, while The Times said the ploy was a "flagrant breach of the spirit of the game". Herald rugby correspondent Gregor Paul accused Erasmus of "ethically dubious behaviour", likening him to a Lex Luther-style villain who seems to think he is beyond reproach and demanding action from World Rugby.
The Times, meanwhile, quotes high level rugby sources saying "everyone is growing tired of Rassie's games" as he continues to operate in the "grey areas" of the rules.
Post-match outburst
Erasmus also made headlines for his post-match press conference appearance that saw him lose his cool and swear in response to New Zealand allegations of rule breaking at the scrum. The All Blacks had struggled at the set-piece during the first Test but largely held up well in Cape Town.
New Zealand coach Dave Rennie claimed: "The scrums were better. Angus (Gardner, the referee) was pretty strong around setting a mark and then trying to keep the hookers in the same sort of spacing, and if the Springboks moved across further left, then he stopped them. We'll give a bit of feedback around that.
"It's still a bit of an issue for us because they're able to walk around and go straight through our tighthead. So, a couple of little technical things that we'll share again, but look, I thought in the end, the scrums, both teams were able to play off them, and so Angus did a reasonable job there."
When the allegation of "walking around" was put to Erasmus, he bristled, saying: "It's the first time ever in history that people are talking about us walking around.
"So why would we all of a sudden walk around in this? You know, the first six scrums New Zealand had, every single one collapsed and it was reset, reset, reset, reset. So why is it only on their ball that the scrum collapsed every single time?
"So, don't come with that nonsense and say, 'we're walking around,' and you try and put things out in the media.
"Don't try and convince the people through the media because that was what happened in the first week; they tried to convince the people in the media that we are slowing the game down and we're not.
"So, if the referees get caught up by that, then there's obviously a plan to get that message out and then we're not going to stay quiet and just say, 'Yeah, you're right. We're walking around'. We're not f***ing walking around. We're scrumming through. So, you know, we have never ever, ever been accused of walking around. So, I don't understand it."
Calls for World Rugby action
New Zealand Herald writer Paul urged World Rugby to take action against Erasmus for his expletive, at least, accusing the Springboks of turning mind games into misconduct.
He wrote: "There is now an increasing element of bewilderment, frustration and possibly even disdain for the way Erasmus operates within the laws of the game but outside the spirit in what seems like a never-ending but misguided desire to win the tiniest advantage.
"The Springboks keep winning and that in itself seems to serve as a protective shield for Erasmus – his behaviour and antics somehow deemed to be okay by officialdom as they serve the purpose of delivering the win.
"And, certainly, the South African media have no interest in holding their super coach to account because he wins, he unites and he builds a narrative around nation-building that is much bigger than the ethics of how he does it all.
"But World Rugby, as the custodians and managers of the international game, need to find the resolve to stand up to Erasmus and at least reprimand him for his use of an expletive in the post-match conference after the 33-26 second test win.
"Given the litany of more serious misdemeanours that have been committed in the past few weeks, warning Erasmus about saying 'f***ing' in a press conference may feel a little like getting Al Capone for tax avoidance, but there needs to be some demonstration of authority and some sense out of World Rugby that they are not willing to let one man become bigger than the game.
"The crime sheet is reaching epic proportions and when it's laid out."
