Warren Gatland told Steve Borthwick to report Springboks to World Rugby, here’s why
Rugby NewsMonday, 19 August 2024 at 14:01
During the Rugby World Cup, Warren Gatland urged England to address their concerns regarding South Africa's frequent use of Head Injury Assessments (HIAs_ with the sport's governing bodies.
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Gatland's history with South Africa's director of rugby, Rassie Erasmus, includes a notorious fallout during the 2021 British & Irish Lions tour.
Erasmus drew criticism for his antics as a "water boy," a role typically reserved for carrying refreshments, which World Rugby subsequently banned. Gatland famously quipped: "If he is going to act as a water boy, at least he should have some water in his bottle."
In his Telegraph column, Gatland offered advice to England head coach Steve Borthwick, saying: “I know what it is like to go head-to-head with South Africa’s director of rugby, and my advice to Steve Borthwick would be to make sure he gets on the front foot - and combat any dark arts.”
“To have any chance against the Springboks you must attempt not just to match them physically but also to be tactically smart and show no signs of mental weakness,” Gatland added.
Gatland suggested raising concerns subtly to highlight issues from a refereeing perspective. “For example, if I was Steve, I would be asking some questions about the number of head injury assessments that South Africa called for in their victory against France.
"I am not questioning whether they were legitimate or not but there have been people out there speculating about it and I would certainly be putting it out there and highlighting that it looked unusual and raising questions about the protocol.”
When asked if he would use HIA regulations to rotate players for rest, Erasmus responded curtly: “no.”
“If in doubt, play on” – Wayne Barnes call for three changes to ‘improve rugby’
Discover the three significant changes Barnes advocates for rugby union in the current landscape, aiming to enhance the game's appeal and competitiveness.
Change one: Referee reviewers must encourage the game to flow
He wrote in his column: "With the game crying out for less stoppages and for more attacking rugby, a general philosophy around allowing the game to flow should be the focus of what the selectors are feeding back to match officials."
RUCK Judgment: Spot on – it just makes sense that referees are recognised for promoting gameplay rather than enforcing rules to the extent that the game halts more frequently than in American Football.
Change two: Only penalise attack at breakdown if defence squeaky clean
He wrote: "Nothing sucks the life out of a stadium more than a promising attack being stopped by a referee’s whistle for a technical side entry or, even worse, an attacker going off their feet even if the contest is already lost.
"One of the officials who will referee during this tournament penalised the attack 72 per cent of the time at the breakdowns during the World Cup.
"That means three out of the four times his whistle went, it was against the attack, killing the flow of the game."
RUCK Judgment: Easier in theory than in practice. In a perfect world, we would concur with Wayne.
Change three: If in doubt, play on
He wrote: "With an average of 200 breakdowns, 10 scrums and 20 line-outs, a referee will make around 230 decisions during a match. The majority of time he or she will be asking themselves, “do I need to blow my whistle and stop the game?”
"Whenever there is any doubt as to whether there was an infringement or not, the referee should resist blowing their whistle and help to improve the game’s flow."
RUCK Judgment: Absolutely right - adhering to the age-old adage of 'let the boys play.'
Referee, Paul Williams during the Six Nations Championship, Calcutta Cup match between England and Scotland at Twickenham Stadium, Twickenham, London on February 4th 2023. - PHOTO: Phil Mingo/PPAUK
Can you name every player to score a hat-trick in the Six Nations?
In the thrilling world of the Guinness Six Nations, there's nothing quite like the euphoria of bagging a hat-trick.
This extraordinary feat is as scarce as they come, with only 20 players accomplishing the remarkable three-try milestone since the Championship expanded to six nations in 2000.
Notably, a couple of players have even pulled off this astonishing feat twice, adding an extra layer of prestige to their rugby prowess.
Now, take a moment to rewind and test your memory. Can you recall the names of these exceptional hat-trick heroes?
If you manage a perfect score, you'll undoubtedly be entitled to a celebration on par with the jubilant antics witnessed by some of the stars on this illustrious list.
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