South Africa's head coach Rassie Erasmus on the pitch ahead of the international rugby union test match between England and South Africa at Twickenham stadium in south-west London on November 3, 2018. (Photo by Adrian DENNIS / AFP)
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus clearly made a statement to World Rugby and their interpretation of the tackle laws by “coaching” Andre Esterhuizen to make hits like the one Owen Farrell made on him.
In a widely circulated video clip, Erasmus clearly instructs his midfielder to aim high in taking down a tackle bag during a training session in Paris on Monday.
After tackling too low with the first two attempts, Esterhuizen nails it with his third, leading to Erasmus clapping his hands.
One, however, can’t help but feel this is a bit of a stunt.
The majority of training sessions at international level are closed to the public and it’s unlikely that such an “intimate”, detailed tactic would be so easily captured.
Rather, it would seem Erasmus is just making a point…
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