Loose Pass: Springboks ‘disrespectful’ tag debunked as Rassie Erasmus follows All Blacks’ dynasty path
This week we will mostly be concerning ourselves with the exact meaning of second string and the fates of the French players in Argentina…
Disrespectful? It’s part of the process
It was disappointing to see last week, in the build-up to South Africa‘s rematch with the Wallabies, some of the home country’s reaction to Rassie Erasmus‘ team changes, not least the accusations of disrespect aimed at the multiple changes to the team.
A second-string team was how some – even this website at times – termed the selection. If a second string can contain Pieter-Steph du Toit and Cheslin Kolbe, you may as well call off Australia 2027 now.
This was not second string. This was a huge step forward in the renewal process; it would have been that whatever the result. Erasmus has been good at many things during his tenure at the helm of South Africa but his management of players approaching the end of their shelf life and the succession planning is benchmark; that New Zealand‘s succession planning and rotation over the past few years has not been as effective is a major reason the All Blacks are currently less than favourites for every tournament going.
Of the four props and two hookers who traditionally constituted the starting front-row and Bomb Squad replacements in France last year, none are under 30 bar Ox Nche, who is 29. Most will be over 35 by Australia. The same is true for the locks, except RG Snyman, who is 29. Jasper Wiese and Marco van Staden were the only exceptions in the back-row. Both half-backs were 30-something. Handre Pollard was 30. Both starting centres were 30. Kolbe was 30 by the final.
Few of them have moved on, most have not, but there is little doubt that the next two years will witness a generational change. Many who have not yet stepped down will do so during that time. But the culture, so central to Rassie’s set-up, will not change one jot – consider the importance of the ‘alignment camps’ in the annual planning.
Erasmus’ management of this is on a par with that of Graham Henry’s and Steve Hansen’s going back to the mid-noughties, which created the decade-long dynasty that also claimed two consecutive World Cups – and the occasional multiple changes in competitive matches are also a parallel. It did not take long to get to the point where the supposed second string and first-string were close to indistinguishable; generally it was only the presence of Richie McCaw, Dan Carter and one or two others which told the teams apart.
For McCaw, read Eben Etzebeth. For Carter, read Damian de Allende. Not the same players or positions, but cornerstones of any first-choice South African team currently. Du Toit, Siya Kolisi and Kolbe as well. And the newbies? Two years to come in the squad, playing with those benchmark players, getting occasional chances to take, getting months of learning time from the best in the business. Disrespectful? It’s just good planning.
Forgotten in Argentina
It’s been a few weeks since French rugby was rocked by the arrests of Oscar Jegou and Hugo Auradoiu in France for aggravated rape of a woman in Mendoza. And since then there’s not been much in the way of information, but this week saw the duo released from house arrest and their electronic tags removed. They are still without passports while awaiting trial – which will probably only be next year – but the change in status is thought to be significant.
The players’ lawyer in France, Antoine Vey, said it was a “long-awaited decision, which represents a major step toward judicial recognition of the innocence,” while Deputy Prosecutor Gonzalo Nazar said that “it is not possible to satisfy the necessary conviction standard to request the preventive imprisonment.”
The Judiciary also mentioned “inconsistencies, grey areas and even insufficient explanations regarding factual circumstances as varied as the motive or intention pursued by the complainant herself when she agreed to go to the hotel.”
“We are delighted with the release of our player, Oscar Jegou. This is an important step towards proving his innocence. We, the entire Stade Rochelais community, reaffirm our support for Oscar and his family,” read a statement from La Rochelle.
“We hope that the investigation can continue to take place in calm conditions and with respect for the presumption of innocence. We affirm our confidence, as we have done since the beginning of the procedure, in the Argentine justice system. We hope that Oscar will be able to return to France soon.”
