Steven Kitshoff Springbok prop Steven Kitshoff called time on his rugby career after a serious neck injury. Photo: AFP
Image: AFP
Australian coach and pundit Matt Williams is not South Africa’s favourite rugby figure, and now he can expect even more derision from Springbok fans.
Bok coach Rassie Erasmus hit back at former Scotland and Waratahs coach Williams’ comments about Steven Kitshoff’s neck injury that led to the prop having to announce his retirement from the game recently.
Earlier this week, Williams was a guest on the DSPN with Martin Devlin podcast, in which he again criticised the six-two or seven-one bench split in favour of the forwards, which Erasmus has used to great effect for South Africa in the their back-to-back Rugby World Cup triumphs in 2019 and 2023.
“We know about brain injuries, what is it doing for brain injuries by bringing fresh guys off the bench? What’s it doing to the guys’ spines when it’s being compacted unbelievably for 80 minutes?” Williams said.
“What about Kitshoff, what happened to his spine in South Africa? Do we know if that is as a result of the scrummaging they are put through?”
Erasmus didn’t let this one go. On Wednesday night, he posted a screenshot of Williams’ comment on Kitshoff and replied: “Nee wat (no man)!! How can a 6/2 or 7/1 split contribute to Kitchie’s injury? “Do we know” No you don’t.”
Williams had gone on a long rant about the ‘Bomb Squad’ concept, even acknowledging that France had also implemented the ploy during the Six Nations.
“I admire the intellectual thinking of this as a coach. I do not have a problem with the coaches – this is not a problem about selection or why they’re doing it,” he said.
“I get it, it works. France against Ireland (in the Six Nations), it absolutely works, but what does that do to our game?
“I’m going to cop an earful off everyone. I’m prepared to do that – otherwise, I would be walking away from an old mate’s legacy.
“Every time I go out, old forwards and old props go up to me and they say, ‘you’re right’. I’ve never had anyone, apart from a few South Africans – because it’s good for South Africa – say it’s rubbish.
“All forwards say, ‘you’re probably right’. I think it’s a big issue, I’m a bit of a lone voice but, because of my club-mate Grant Harper (ex-Western Suburbs prop who was paralysed after a collapsed scrum), I’m not shutting up on it.”
The Guardian newspaper in London recently reported that World Rugby had no problem with the Bomb Squad being used by teams.
World Rugby CEO Alan Gilpin said: “We looked at it from a science, medicine perspective.
“Was there a distinctive view that a bunch of fresh players coming on with 20-30 minutes to go is going to create a more injurious position, and the science said that’s not the case.
“So, there was no reason from that perspective to look at how we might do replacements differently. Ultimately, there are a lot of different ways to win a rugby match.”
Erasmus responded in positive fashion to that story as well, saying “So lekka” alongside the South African and France flag emojis.
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