Erasmus fires back at All Blacks' 'slow game' claims ahead of Ellis Park test

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — It couldn't be South Africa vs. New Zealand without a phony war. Building to their first test at Ellis Park on Saturday, the touring All Blacks have been pushing the narrative that South African teams including the Springboks deliberately slow down the game to undermine New Zealand attempts to speed it up. Coach Dave Rennie, assistant Tana Umaga and senior player Codie Taylor have all made the claim while scoring 142 points and conceding 40 against three clubs. Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus disagreed with the assertion on Monday and noted the last two test fixtures between them last September; New Zealand won 24-17 in Auckland and a week later South Africa won 43-10 in Wellington. “Were those slow games?” was Erasmus' rhetorical question to the media. Beside Erasmus was technical adviser Jaco Peyper, who refereed 67 tests, many involving the All Blacks. Peyper emphasized that teams have 30 seconds to form a set-piece once the referee marks the spot with his foot. “We have to adhere to that and we train for it,” Peyper said. “You can do whatever you want inside those 30 seconds. There's nothing in the law that says you can't idle before the mark is given.” Erasmus added: “If in those 30 seconds you want to go down and pray, that is your right.” But the coach understood and sympathized with the All Blacks' mind games. Erasmus believed it was born out of World Rugby changing the protocol around pre-match meetings between the coach and the ref. Coaches can no longer meet the ref separately. And if one coach doesn't want to meet the ref then they both can't. Rennie said on Monday that Erasmus “felt there wasn't any need to meet” this weekend's referee Matthew Carley. “I feel the same way to be honest.” Rennie added they sent video clips to World Rugby in a system open to other teams and got clarity in reply. Erasmus believed not meeting this week saved an open argument between the coaches over time wasting. But he also felt the new protocols were frustrating all international coaches and widening the gap between coaches and match officials, leaving coaches to voice their opinions through the media. “I totally understand why the All Blacks voiced some of their concerns,” Erasmus said. “That's the only option.” Meanwhile, Erasmus said they were waiting on captain Siya Kolisi (hamstring) and prop Ox Nche (knee) to be cleared of "niggles." And New Zealand summoned uncapped Highlanders tighthead prop Saula Ma'u to replace Chiefs loosehead Ollie Norris, who suffered tour-ending knee cartilage damage against the Bulls on Saturday. ___ See AP’s full rugby coverage here