The Steve and Eddie Show
Rassie Erasmus, the South Africa head coach, has hailed Wales counterpart Warren Gatland as ‘‘an absolute legend’’ before their teams’ Rugby World Cup semifinal tomorrow night, while dismissing coaching mind games as ‘‘unnecessary nonsense’’.
Erasmus has made one enforced change from the side who beat Japan 26-3 in the quarterfinal, with Sbu Nkosi replacing wing Cheslin Kolbe, who is nursing an ankle injury. Erasmus also retains the same six forwards/two backs split on his replacements bench.
Unlike the tit-for-tat between Steve Hansen and Eddie Jones prior to the first semifinal of New Zealand against England, Erasmus has no interest in prodding any hornets’ nest.
The transcript of an Erasmus press conference usually has to be read several times to uncover any hidden agendas. The suggestion that Japan possessed two ‘‘Ferrari’’ wingers clearly irked him, given that he referred to the Italian sports car several times in the post quarterfinal press conference.
However, Erasmus’ praise for Gatland, who is entering the home straight of his 12-year-tenure as Wales head coach, was entirely sincere, in part because he has not received any verbal grenades from the New Zealander.
‘‘Warren is an absolute legend of the game,’’ Erasmus said. ‘‘You very seldom see him in a mouth-fight and mudslinging before test matches.
‘‘I’ve never been there having to reply to something he says, and he doesn’t bite at you to create unnecessary nonsense before a test, so I’ve got a lot of respect for him as a person. His results on the field speak for themselves, with the Welsh team and the British and Irish Lions.’’
Even with Gatland assuming a position with the Chiefs in Super Rugby, this will not be the last time the pair cross swords. In 2021, Gatland will take charge of the Lions for a third time when travelling to South Africa.
‘‘We will definitely compete again,’’ Erasmus said. ‘‘It is always a pleasure because he is a gentleman on and off the field, and he deserves all the credit that goes his way.’’
Unlike Gatland, Jones and Hansen, who have all been coaching international rugby teams for at least 12 years, Erasmus is a relative newbie. He was appointed director of rugby in 2016 and assumed Allister Coetzee’s role as head coach the following year after a disastrous run of results, including a first defeat by Italy and a 57-0 hiding by New Zealand.
Erasmus has transformed fortunes, winning in New Zealand in 2018 and capturing the Rugby Championship title this year.
‘‘We’ve been under pressure to redeem ourselves,’’ Erasmus said. ‘‘We’ve been down at five, six and seven in the world rankings. Two years ago, almost every team we played gave us a hiding.
‘‘A lot of people lost faith in us. In the beginning, we were just trying to get respect back. Now we’re at the stage when we want to become No 1 in the world again. Now there is the pressure of expectation. Wales have been No 1 and won the grand slam. We are trying to get to No 1 and stay and redeem ourselves.’’
Erasmus admitted that he was gambling with the fitness of Kolbe, who he is partly saving for the final.
‘‘It is a big blow. Everybody knows the quality of player and the contribution he has made,’’ Erasmus said. ‘‘But if we looked purely at his performance in the previous game, his ankle definitely had an influence.
‘‘We feel a fully fit Sbu, and the way Sbu has been performing, if you compare the two, a 70 per cent Cheslin isn’t better than a 100 per cent Sbu.
So, it is a blow, but we have full confidence in Sbu, especially with the way he has been playing. He deserves his chance.’’
– The Telegraph
‘‘You very seldom see him in a mouth-fight and mud-slinging before test matches.’’ Rassie Erasmus on Warren Gatland