Erasmus has identified World Rugby's updated match-official communication protocols as the structural reason why Test coaches — including the All Blacks — are increasingly airing grievances publicly rather than directly with referees. Under the new rules, a pre-match referee meeting only happens if both head coaches agree to attend together, and post-match feedback is limited to six video clips submitted through a shared central system visible to all parties. Erasmus argues this kills the kind of frank, tactical briefing coaches previously used to flag game-plan specifics — a midfield maul, a front peel, anything that might affect how a referee reads a contested moment. His conclusion: if you can't pre-brief a referee privately, and you can't meet without your opponent in the room, the press conference becomes your only real channel. He reads the All Blacks' public commentary about South Africa slowing the game down through exactly that lens — not as psychological tactics, but as a predictable consequence of a system that has closed off quieter alternatives. Erasmus says he understands it, doesn't agree with it, and can't explain the reasoning behind it.