New Zealand-based rugby writer Gregor Paul says the Springboks’ “deliberate” attempts to slow the game down contributed to the All Blacks going through a poor run of form under Ian Foster.
The All Blacks brought a run of five losses in six Tests to an end by beating the Boks in the Rugby Championship Test at Ellis Park on 13 August, having been beaten by the hosts at Mbombela a week earlier.
The horror run of results piled pressure on head coach Foster and captain Sam Cane, with the former looking set for the axe had New Zealand not beat the world champions in Johannesburg.
While many have attributed the All Blacks’ demise to the recent poor decisions by New Zealand Rugby, New Zealand Herald writer Paul argues that ‘cynicism’ from the Kiwis’ opponents is to blame.
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“The results of the last 10 months reflect their self-inflicted issues, but as much as the wider professional New Zealand rugby fraternity has lost its way in recent years, there has been a second and significant narrative weighing against the All Blacks and one that has largely been unrecognised or at least not acknowledged,” Paul writes.
“An unprecedented level of cynicism has crept into Test rugby since 2017 and it has mostly been enabled, or at least ignored by the game’s governing body.
“The recent series against the Springboks perfectly illustrated how big games can be so heavily influenced by a referee’s tolerance for cynicism.
“In the first Test, played in the searing heat of Mbombela, South Africa expertly slowed the game down with feigned injuries and glacial-paced movement to set pieces.
“It might seem petty to rail against this, but the way South Africa huddled before each lineout then slowly walked into position, as well as the way they so painstakingly formed each scrum, occasionally finding a way to pull out of the engagement process at the last minute to reset themselves, was all part of a deliberate and highly managed strategy to prevent the contest from developing an aerobic factor.”
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