Gavin Rich coined the term 'Mad Coaches Disease' back in 2006 to describe Springbok coaches who lose the plot under pressure. When Erasmus named Deon Fourie — who hadn't played hooker since the 2023 World Cup final — as a starting hooker an hour before kick-off in the second RGR Test, the press box collectively wondered if MCD had struck again. It hadn't. Rich's argument is that Erasmus has his own variant: Mad Genius Disease. The move worked — Fourie hit his first lineout, the Bok pack dominated early, and the Boks controlled the game before referee Angus Gardner's reluctance to police the scrums blunted their advantage. Rich is scathing about Gardner and the broader Kiwi push to neuter the scrum through referee pressure, calling it a threat to rugby's identity.
Beyond the Fourie story, Rich takes aim at overseas critics who called the late team-sheet change unsporting — dismissing that as clickbait built on reflexive anti-Rassie sentiment. His case is straightforward: all 23 players were in the published squad, and a coach should be free to deploy them in any order or combination, especially when conditions change. He also addresses Erasmus's expletive-laced press conference response to Dave Rennie's scrum lobbying, backing him completely. The piece closes on the genuine warmth between the two squads post-match — Kolisi with Savea's family, Bok players chatting to Rennie — as evidence that the rivalry's mutual respect is real, not PR. Worth reading for Rich's full breakdown of Erasmus's tactical reasoning and his argument about what modern 23-man rugby actually means.