"We have laws, not rules": Scott Robertson defends South Africa and its confusing strategic options against Italy

An All Blacks coach who turns into a Springboks coach's defender, you had to hear it to believe it. Yet this is what happened Monday morning when Scott Robertson (50 years old) discussed the match that the two-time world champions South Africa played against Italy on Saturday. In particular, beyond the river victory (45-0) , on the use of new tactical combinations by his counterpart Rassie Erasmus (52 years old).

The most spectacular was to lift a player as if in touch, but in the heart of the field, in the middle of the play. The confusion caused among the Italian players resulted in a try. From the kickoff, the South Africans surprised them with a deliberately short kick from Manie Libbok, which was caught by André Esterhuizen in an offside position. This was a premeditated action to circumvent the ten-meter rule, in the hope of triggering a scrum in the center of the field, an area of play in which the Boks are confident of their strength and through which they wanted to demonstrate their dominance from the start. This tactic failed and led to a penalty against them.

After the match, Italian coach Gonzalo Quesada appeared annoyed and surprised by this approach, deeming it unnecessary and disrespectful: " I didn't take it well. I think they can beat us without having to resort to this kind of tactic ." When asked about the ploy, Scott Robertson surprisingly gave him his support. "I saw what they did, it doesn't surprise me. We sometimes did something like this when I played at Perpignan (he was a third row for USAP between 2003 and 2006 and played 54 matches there). Since we had a big scrum, we sometimes deliberately kicked out. This is nothing new and it reveals your intentions. In rugby, you have the right to use your strengths to surprise, it's a form of innovation in a way. "And the All Black coach remained on the same page about the throw-ins in the center of the game. " It's unique and innovative, and that's what makes our sport so special. Plus, it gets people talking, which is good. "

“We spend a lot of time researching with the aim of innovating.”

When pressed by a Kiwi reporter to condemn the South Africans' action in breaking the law by deliberately placing themselves offside, Razor offered his unwavering support: "The spirit is to bring more variety to rugby. We have laws, not rules, and they are open to interpretation. We'll see how it's interpreted. It's not for me to decide. " Time will also tell whether Scott Robertson will be as open-minded if Rassie Erasmus pulls more punches at Eden Park during the highly anticipated Rugby Championship clash against the Springboks on September 6.

A strategist of the "creative" game, Scott Robertson could not adopt a conservative stance in the face of Rassie Erasmus' tactical audacity. Despite well-tanned clichés, South African rugby is today a strategic laboratory of modern rugby. " We spend a lot of time researching with the aim of innovating ," confided "Razor. " Sometimes it works, others don't. The planets have to align. The positive thing is that we have creative guys in our group who come up with ideas (last weekend, the first try against Les Bleus scored by Cam Roigard - 14th - came from a feint developed by Bryn Evans, the brand new lineout coach recruited by the All Blacks). At each meeting together, we are keen to ensure that all strategic options are put on the table.

To continue to attract the public and avoid falling into a routine, Robertson believes that his sport must maintain a dynamic spirit. On Saturday evening, after the victory against the French XV (43-17), New Zealand playmaker Beauden Barrett told us that the All Blacks are looking at rugby league a lot these days. " Rugby league influences defensive systems, so obviously attacking options ," Robertson added. "We adapt quickly, we want to have several options. Depth allows us to get around fast defenses. We also have to play flat. We work on both. "

Beauden Barrett, ball in hand on Saturday during New Zealand - France in Wellington (43-17). (A. Mounic/L'Équipe)

It's in this frame of mind that the coach is honing his players for the final match against Les Bleus on Saturday in Hamilton. After giving them a hard time during the first test in Dunedin (31-27), Fabien Galthié's men transformed into luxury sparring partners last Saturday in Wellington. Scott Robertson's narrative for his players seemed obvious: to reclaim the Dave Gallaher Trophy from the French, which the All Blacks hadn't lifted since 2018. What will his storytelling be for the final match? " Continue to perform at the highest level, show how much we care about our jersey. We'll have to do it again, finish this series in style. "

The two teams will face off at the FMG Stadium, a sold-out venue, which is a boon for New Zealand rugby, which desperately needs the box office revenue and was very concerned that the French team's second team label would hurt attendances. All three stadiums were full, as were the audience figures for Sky, the rights-holding channel. " I can't tell you our audience figures ," a producer from the channel assured us, "but I can tell you they're very good. The Blues have attracted a lot of people to our channel and we're very happy about that. "