All Blacks great John Kirwan has accused Rassie Erasmus of masterminding a “conspiracy” to lull New Zealand into a false sense of security ahead of Saturday’s showdown with South Africa.
Kirwan believes the Springboks head coach instructed the Stormers, Sharks and Bulls to deliberately abandon their usual style of rugby when facing the All Blacks over the past two weeks, ensuring Dave Rennie’s side would not experience the full physical and tactical challenge awaiting them at Ellis Park.
New Zealand have beaten all three provincial sides comfortably during their South African tour, but Kirwan claims those matches may have been part of a deliberate ploy to leave the All Blacks underprepared for the opening Test.
Kirwan Challenges Matfield
The former New Zealand wing put the theory to Victor Matfield on the Rugby Rivals podcast after the Springboks great suggested the All Blacks were “looking good” heading into the series. Kirwan was immediately sceptical of Matfield’s assessment.
“I think you are absolutely lying, Victor. I think you’ve got that wry smile on your face and I personally believe that deep down you don’t think the All Blacks have a chance,” Kirwan said.
“I can see it in your face, mate. You’re just being humble and nice, but you do not think we have a chance because you don’t think we’ve been tested at all with Springbok type of rugby.
“I think Rassie has told all the provincial sides to actually play like the All Blacks if you want, but do not play like the Springboks because we want to lull them into a false sense of security. I can just see it in your face, mate. I love that answer, but your body was telling me something else, brother.”
Matfield Rejects Conspiracy Claim
Matfield rejected the idea, explaining that the provincial teams had their own reasons for playing the way they did against New Zealand.
“I spoke to Neil de Bruin, the attack coach, before the game, and he came out and he said, ‘No, they want to play more. They’re not going to kick it.’ I was like, ‘Oh, that might be trouble for you tonight.’ But that was their plan. I thought the Stormers put up a good fight and put them under pressure.
“Remember these teams are in pre-season, so they’re actually off. They only came back for two weeks just to train for these games, so the fitness levels of the players aren’t there. I thought the Stormers put them under pressure a little bit, but it’s going to be a different game on Saturday. That’s why the smirk is there.”
Kirwan Doubles Down
But Kirwan doubled down on his theory, suggesting the lack of a traditional South African kicking game from the provincial sides was suspicious.
“The Bulls coach comes up to you and says ‘Hi Victor, I’m a South African, and guess what? I’m going to try and play the All Blacks at their own game.’ Wow, wouldn’t you sack him straight away? What’s he doing there? Is he on something? It just smells of conspiracy to me. I think Rassie has told the provincial sides to do that, and that’s what they’ve done. There wasn’t even a box kick, was there? There were a couple of random kicks in the middle of the field.”
The All Blacks now face the real test of whether their three provincial victories have provided adequate preparation when they take on the Springboks at Ellis Park on Saturday in the first of four mouth-watering Tests. The build-up to this weekend's opener has seen the Springboks accuse New Zealand of illegal tactics in a move that appears designed to influence the officials taking charge of the Greatest Rivalry series.
