Amidst this calendar conundrum, the Springboks are hosting a four-test series against the All Blacks, with one game set on neutral ground, after an initial three-game face-off in South Africa. Prior to this, the South African squad geared up by playing against Argentina in South America. Erasmus expressed his thoughts on the existing schedule's constraints:
"I’m not scared or shy to say the schedule of the Rugby Championship or Greatest Rivalry or Argentina, why that can’t be moved to February to the Six Nations block – everything would be in sync."
He further acknowledged the complexities behind such changes, admitting a partial disconnect from the intricacies that the administrative side entails:
"I think syncing the international calendar [would help], but there are a lot of logistical problems that I probably don’t know about and understand because I’m not 100 per cent in the boardrooms."
Turning to Argentina, their coach Felipe Contepomi faces similar challenges. Many Argentine players also compete in Europe, necessitating a strategy of rotation to avoid player burnout.
Erasmus shared his insights on their mutual understanding and strategies: "For Argentina, Felipe and I are good friends, I know him well, and I understand his frustrations," said Erasmus. He emphasized the importance of rotation in maintaining player form and health, especially as pivotal tournaments approach:
"I guess this weekend I think Argentina have got 15 players out and we’ve got about 15 players out, so we are going the route of rotating and keeping guys fresh, and hopefully in the crunch matches when it gets to the World Cup or Nations Championship play-off times or Greatest Rival Times, hopefully we peak."
Following a recent controversial game between Argentina and England, where player Tomas Albornoz faced disciplinary actions for an incident involving referee Angus Gardner, Erasmus commented on the preparation for the upcoming match with Argentina. He downplayed concerns over the sportsmanship of the Argentine team, attributing the previous game's issues to isolated circumstances.
"We know Argentina well, we’ve played them twice every year apart from this year. We know their players, they know us, some of our players play with them in French clubs, some play with them in Japan," Erasmus added. He also noted that despite the hard and physical nature of the Argentine players, he has never found them to be unsportsmanlike in their gameplay.
The adjustments and challenges presented by the dichotomy of northern and southern rugby schedules continue to be a significant topic for international rugby. Aligning these schedules could potentially harmonize the global rugby calendar, benefiting players and fans alike.
