South Africa have raised concerns over the legality of some New Zealand tactics ahead of Saturday's blockbuster Test between the two rugby giants at Ellis Park.
Springboks assistant coach Felix Jones says feedback from South Africa's leading franchises has highlighted areas of the All Blacks' game that have caused concern during their tour. New Zealand have beaten the Stormers, Sharks and Bulls in their opening three matches of the Greatest Rivalry series and now face Rassie Erasmus' world champions.
Breakdown and maul concerns
Jones says the Springboks have been alerted to potential infringements at the breakdown and in the driving maul. He revealed that South African sides had been unhappy with what they described as "tucked shoulders" going into breakdowns, along with players using a reversed-arm non-wrapping action. The coach also highlighted concerns over players pulling or attempting to lift a leg during defensive efforts against driving mauls.
Jones said: "A couple of things caught the franchises out and a couple of themes were consistent across the feedback. One was around the breakdown, where they experienced tucked shoulders going in, which the franchises weren’t happy with, and a reversed-arm non-wrapping action. The other was that the franchises were actually quite happy with the opportunities they created, getting into scoring positions around 10m out, with multiple lineout opportunities there, but they were frustrated they couldn’t score from the driving maul. It’s tough when there’s someone pulling or trying to lift a leg or going off their feet. Those were probably the two main themes."
Physicality within the laws
Jones stressed that South Africa are not opposed to the physical nature of the All Blacks' approach, but insisted it must remain within the laws. "We’re all for the physical side of the game, as everyone is aware. We just want it to be within the laws," he said. "So, we’re aware of it going into the game."
The comments are likely to add another layer of intrigue to Saturday's encounter, with the Springboks clearly alert to the way New Zealand are approaching the breakdown and set-piece. Jones also praised the intensity of the All Blacks under head coach Dave Rennie, but reiterated the importance of player safety. "We’ve coached against Dave Rennie with Glasgow and with Australia, and the word 'brutal' follows his coaching, and there are some amazing elements to how quickly they get their ruck speed going," he said. "But World Rugby’s number one priority is safety, so we just want to make sure that physicality and brutality stay within the laws."
