Rugby aficionados were keenly observing the scrum battles after All Blacks coach Dave Rennie voiced concerns post the first Test, claiming the Springboks were manipulating scrum engagements. Following adjustments by the Springboks in the second Test, which they won 33-26 and evened the series, the scrum dynamics continued to draw attention.
Before the match, Rassie Erasmus, in a tactical switch influenced by weather conditions, reshuffled his front-row players. Starting were Gerhard Steenekamp, Deon Fourie, and Thomas du Toit, while Ox Nché, Malcolm Marx, and Wilco Louw were reserved for later impact. Erasmus explained, "The original selection was for wet conditions, but the dry weather had us rethink our strategy."
"We not f**king walking around!"
Mallett, speaking on the Talking Boks podcast, praised Erasmus' decision, suggesting it showcased his depth of strategic thinking. "It was classic Rassie. It worked beautifully. I thought our Bomb Squad made a big difference. The guys who came on all contributed," Mallett elaborated.
However, Mallett criticized referee Angus Gardner's handling of the scrum, hinting that the All Blacks dodged several penalties due to Gardner’s reluctance to fully police the set-piece. "I just really felt that Angus Gardner didn’t want to have to adjudicate who was dominant in that area of the game. He wanted it to be a set-piece that was just a restart in the game."
"I think the All Blacks were lucky with that. I think they were able to probably avoid three or four penalties in that area of the game," Mallett added. This sentiment reflects a broader frustration that the Springboks' scrummaging strength wasn't fully rewarded during the match.
The game's dynamics shifted once substitute players Nché and Marx entered in the 35th minute. Their introduction seemed to tilt the scrum balance momentarily, though Gardner and his team quickly quelled the shift. "He gave two penalties quickly, but the second one was called by the touch judge because I heard him say, ‘Can you give me the picture? Who was it who went down?’ He wanted to know why there was a penalty there and why the assistant referee had called it from his side," Mallett recounted.
Looking ahead, it remains to be seen if the referee for the upcoming game at FNB Stadium, Nika Amashukeli, will handle the scrum encounters differently. Mallett lamented, "Certainly, it took away what has always been a real weapon of ours. There were a number of scrums in that game where we could double-shove and we could have gone, but we weren’t given the reward."
As the series progresses, the scrum battles continue to be not just about physical dominance but also about tactical acumen and refereeing interpretations, shaping up a riveting narrative in this storied rivalry.
