Erasmus: 'Clever' France 'sometimes simulate' to win penalties

MIND GAMES: South Africa's head coach Rassie Erasmus looks on ahead of a training session. Pic: CLEMENT MAHOUDEAU / AFP

Rassie Erasmus has ramped up the mind games ahead of South Africa’s mouthwatering World Cup quarter-final with tournament hosts France on Sunday by suggesting Fabien Galthie’s side “simulate” to win penalties.

South Africa’s director of rugby did not refer to specific incidents but gave his views while praising the French for “not playing a reckless game”. 

France scrum-half Maxime Lucu was the subject of controversy during a pool game against Italy last week when the Italians were denied a try after a TMO check that deemed Lucu had been illegally cleaned out of a ruck by a high hit.

Back-rower Anthony Jelonch’s reaction in a 2021 Test against Australia in Brisbane to a collision with ball carrier Marika Koroibete also drew criticism as the Wallabies wing earned a red card as a result. 

Jelonch had fallen to the floor clutching his face despite replays showing shoulder-to-shoulder contact.

Erasmus spoke at length on Tuesday during a media conference at the World Cup Main media Centre in Paris, based at Roland Garros, and made clear his respect for Les Bleus head coach Galthie, recalling the former scrum-half’s visit to Munster when the South African was director of rugby there during 2016-17.

Yet having spoken of his pride at the Springboks not having conceded a yellow card during the pool stages of this World Cup, he was asked whether French tempers could flare at Stade de France on Sunday night if his team took them to “dark places”.

“I think the French are not playing a reckless game where they are on the edge of being too physical or what they do well is that when they get close to the high hits they really show that to the referee,” Erasmus said.

“They do simulate sometimes a little bit which is clever and obviously works. I think they’re very clear at that, very good at that. They’re not a team that’s too dangerous. They’re a physical side who man up who we respect and want to play against.” 

With France staging a media conference at the same venue an hour later, their lock Thibaud Flament was asked for his view of Erasmus’s comments.

“It’s not something I’ve noticed. All teams seem to do it,” Flament said. “It’s not something we prepare specifically.” 

Erasmus paid tribute to Galthie’s positive impact on controlling the French team’s emotions and recalled his lengthy visit to Munster’s High-Performance Centre at the University of Limerick between head coaching stints at Montpellier and Toulon seven years ago.

“I think we played against each other somewhere, I’m not sure where. He came to Limerick. We exchanged ideas at Munster.

“He came there with one of his forwards coaches for about 10 days. I found him to be a very interesting person. I remember we would have a normal day with gym, a field session, then lunch in Limerick at the university and then he would go and play touch rugby barefoot with the students.

“He’d come back and then have some very insightful stuff in terms of how he looks at the game. The French were always very good at things but they’d be up and down and up and down. Now I think they are very steady in their emotions and their emotions control their body language.

“He sat in all our player and coach meetings for 10 days. I certainly learned a few things from him. I’m not sure he learned anything from me. He’s instilled a steadiness into his team where they don’t play on emotions.” Erasmus added that he felt some of the free-flowing rugby that has been on display during the pool stages would tighten up now the knockout stages have arrived, albeit with a couple of notable exceptions.

“Winning is everything, but there’s different ways of winning. But I’ve got a feeling as it goes further and tighter and deeper into this competition, you know, defence, kicking game, scrums, lineouts, mauls - and obviously one or two brilliant moments – but they are things that some teams will definitely revert back to.

“I guess a team like Ireland and New Zealand, will always stay with that linking, attacking, beautiful moves style, but I think it will get tighter as the pressure builds.” 

As for the 2019 champions’ last-eight clash with the hosts, Erasmus said he fully expected the Springboks to be facing French captain Antoine Dupont on Sunday night, just three weeks after the scrum-half fractured a cheekbone in a pool game against Namibia.

“It’s been three weeks since … and I’ve no doubt that he will play and he’ll be a big challenge for us.”