Alex Lowe argued that Rassie Erasmus clearly breached World Rugby's 48-hour team-announcement deadline by holding back Cheslin Kolbe's inclusion until Friday — not for injury reasons, but as a deliberate tactical gambit. Lowe was direct: "That, for me, is the particular selection where they have gone against the regulations. They promoted him late in the week." The front-row switch on the team sheet shortly before kickoff was, by contrast, technically within the letter of the tour agreement — which refers only to the 23, not the specific starting XV — even if it wasn't within the spirit of the rule. Lowe noted that in a World Cup, South Africa would have been fined. Lowe also made the case that Saturday's win was built on a clear coaching directive from Erasmus up in the stands: take the points, every time, no exceptions — a direct response to the indiscipline that cost them in the first test at Ellis Park. With the series locked at 1-1 and what Lowe describes as a near-universal feeling in South African rugby that the home leg is the real prize, the full episode is worth your time for his read on what's at stake in Soweto.
Erasmus bent the rules in Cape Town — and it worked
Alex Lowe argued that Erasmus breached the 48-hour selection deadline with Cheslin Kolbe's late inclusion, while the front-row switch was technically legal but against the spirit of the regulations — and that the Cape Town win was built on a deliberate Erasmus directive to kick every penalty on offer.
Alex Lowe argued that Erasmus breached the 48-hour selection deadline with Cheslin Kolbe's late inclusion, while the front-row switch was technically legal but against the spirit of the regulations — and that the Cape Town win was built on a deliberate Erasmus directive to kick every penalty on offer.
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- Rassie Erasmus
- Springboks
- Cheslin Kolbe
- Rugby World Cup
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