Latest news with #AndreEsterhuizen
Times
15-07-2025
- Sport
- Times
Officials to assess use of innovations by Rassie Erasmus against Italy
The match officials in South Africa's win over Italy are set to assess their handling of the home side's intentionally mistaken kick-off, one of two controversial innovations used by the head coach Rassie Erasmus in the match. The Springboks' 45-0 victory on Saturday in Gqeberha featured two unorthodox tactics that were widely shared and debated: the kick-off strategy — which guaranteed an early scrum and was criticised by the away team's head coach — and a lineout formation to set up a maul in open play. When the refereeing team meet this week to discuss their performance — as they do after every Test — they will assess their interpretation of the opening move of the game, which could have ramifications for future rulings. André Esterhuizen, the Springboks centre, ran ahead of Manie Libbok at kick-off and the fly half dinked the ball straight to his team-mate, ensuring it would not travel the requisite ten metres and the match would begin with a scrum. South Africa then conceded a free kick at the set-piece. 'We wanted to get the scrum badly to get into the game early on,' Erasmus said. 'We make a lot of little plans that sometimes don't pay off, that people don't know of.' Gonzalo Quesada expressed his surprise over the manoeuvre. 'I didn't take it very well, they can beat us without needing to do this kind of tactic,' the Italy head coach said. 'These last couple of weeks, we've been extremely respectful, coming here with a lot of humility — the land of the world champions and deserved double world champions. 'We know that when they prepared this game, they decided to dominate us and show us why they are the first team in the world. 'I was surprised because I don't know if it was something we did or said that created that first moment. They didn't need to do that to beat us.' Quesada had more praise for the Springboks' second innovation. Later in the game, South African forwards lifted a team-mate in the middle of the field to receive a pass from the scrum half, manufacturing a driving maul in open play. Law 9.26 states: 'In open play, any player may lift or support a team-mate.' The tactic has previously been used by Paul Roos Gymnasium's age-group sides. Regarding the kick-off tactic, one can interpret the existing laws in two ways. Law 12.5 states: 'When the ball is kicked: team-mates of the kicker must be behind the ball.' The first offence was that Esterhuizen was in front of the ball, therefore a scrum was awarded in accordance with the listed sanction. Law 12.6 adds that 'the ball must reach the 10-metre line', for which the sanction is either a scrum or a retaken kick-off, decided by the opposing team. Esterhuizen's role prevented that choice. There is no firm provision in law 12 that 'an offside player must not interfere with play', though that phrase exists in law 10, which governs offside and onside in open play rather than at kick-offs and restarts. However, Andrew Brace could have penalised South Africa under foul play under two edicts that, in effect, give officials the latitude to punish whatever they deem to be unfair. Law 9.27 states: 'A player must not do anything that is against the spirit of good sportsmanship.' More pertinently for this incident, law 9.7 stipulates that 'a player must not intentionally infringe any law of the game'. If South Africa had discussed the tactic beforehand with Brace, it could easily be viewed as a deliberate infringement, with a penalty awarded to Italy. As with the in-field lineout, the Springboks do not have sole ownership of the deliberately mistaken restart. Immediate scrums used to be a feature of the wild days of French club rugby, when fly halves would deliberately kick the ball straight out to ensure an early confrontation on the halfway line. Supporters of Erasmus again have cause to celebrate the innovations of the world champions, and to revel in those who cry foul. South Africa's use of the 'bomb squad' in a 7:1 split of forwards to backs on the bench has intensified calls in some quarters to limit the impact of replacements. Less controversially, in the 2023 World Cup quarter-final, Damian Willemse took the unusual move of calling for a scrum from a mark in his own 22, in another show of Springbok brain and brawn. Novel tactics and the use of loopholes often bring about changes to the laws of the game, such as Italy's no-ruck 'fox' tactic against England in 2017 and the so-called 'Dupont law', which was recently altered to ensure players had to make more effort to return to an onside position during a kick chase.
News24
13-07-2025
- Sport
- News24
Esterhuizen experiment – from nice idea to silver bullet option from Italy win
STEAMING IN: Jasper Wiese's sending off in the second Test against Italy meant Springbok centre Andre Esterhuizen had a busy day at the office flitting between centre and flank.
IOL News
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- IOL News
Body horror, Springbok style: Rassie Erasmus' hybrid revolution
Andre Esterhuizen has been a major talking point this week after the centre packed down at flank against the Barbarians. Photo: Backpagepix Image: Backpagepix The first time I came into contact with some form of body horror was most probably somewhere in the late 1990s while watching Akira as a teenager. That seminal anime has a larger footprint than you might imagine — especially if you're not familiar with the classic 1980s Japanese animated film directed by Katsuhiro Otomo. It's probably impossible to list or record all the homages, mentions and influences that the 1988 flick has had on a generation of filmmakers, many of whom have inserted some sort of nod to the beloved work in their own creations. It can get quite gruesome by its climax, but as far as film literature goes, few works have left such an indelible mark on the generations that have followed. Much like how David Cronenberg defined body horror through works such as The Fly, and John Carpenter set the standard with The Thing, Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus is currently cooking up Frankensteinian hybrids amongst his think tank at the national set-up. That may sound a bit harsh… To be clear, I don't believe Erasmus is doing anything untoward or against the spirit of rugby, nor is he some evil genius scientist trying to ruin the game for anyone. Instead, the need to experiment — to push the boundaries of what's expected and challenge the norm — is inspired, out-of-the-box thinking. If anything, his tinkering is more akin to the meshing of a Xenomorph and a Yautja — a Predalien. And if you were born in the '80s or '90s, that might just be the coolest blerrie thing that could have happened to those franchises. Of course, as with the actual attempt to create a shared universe between Alien and Predator, we were all a bit underwhelmed in the end. And that might be true, too, of the current endeavour to create what has been termed a 'hybrid player' by Erasmus and Co. It was somewhat surprising, but not wholly unexpected, when centre Andre Esterhuizen packed down at flank for the Boks against the Barbarians. After all, Erasmus has innovated in such a manner before. Take Kwagga Smith — covering both as a loose-forward and a wing. It may have raised eyebrows initially, but the logic was sound, and the execution even better. Then there's Deon Fourie and Marco van Staden. Both were used at hooker despite being natural flankers — an unusual call, but one that paid off thanks to their breakdown skill and versatility. And who could forget Cheslin Kolbe? Deployed as a wing, a makeshift scrumhalf, and even stepping into line-out duties usually reserved for hookers. That kind of multi-role execution requires serious foresight and trust in a player's skill set. These aren't just quirky selections. They're part of a larger, calculated approach — taking advantage of the laws of rugby and the full capabilities of the athletes available. It's clever, disruptive, and very Bok. Will it work? I'm not wholly convinced, but then we can all agree many teams don't have a big, versatile unit such as Esterhuizen to experiment with. It might be just a step too far at Test level and it feels a bit rugby league to me, which isn't really my ball game. What I will enthusiastically agree with is the need for such innovation and being the rugby nation of such innovations. It speaks to a Bok group that is confident in their set-up, understands what they want to achieve, and has the ability to approach the evolving rugby landscape with dynamic ideas. Moreover, it is a testament to the continued buy-in of the players in the Rassie era — the willingness to learn and expand on new skill sets. It is also an advertisement for the depth and strength of SA rugby. It is something we can all be proud of. And if it does work, well, what a boon to our team. Erasmus might have opened Pandora's box on this one, and regardless of whether it pays off, it certainly makes us the trend-setters of world rugby. Whether Jekyll or Hyde, Erasmus is forcing rugby to evolve — and the rest of the world may soon be playing catch-up.
The South African
02-07-2025
- Sport
- The South African
WATCH: Kiwi pundits rave about Springboks... except one
The Springboks achieved a very special piece of history last year when they claimed a fourth successive victory over the All Blacks for the first time ever. As the world champions wrapped up the Rugby Championship title and continued to remain ensconced at the top of the world rugby rankings, the Springboks have unequivocally become the 'team to beat' in the global game. Just this past weekend the Springboks started their 2025 season with a resounding victory over the Barbarians, while experimenting with some selections, which included bringing regular centre Andre Esterhuizen on as a flank. Reflecting on where the Springboks currently stand in the world rugby reckoning, former All Blacks stars Justin Marshall, Jeff Wilson and Mils Muliaina all raved about the South African side on their chat show called 'Broken Voice'. The trio hailed the Springboks for their innovation, strength in depth and just how they have become the team that everyone is chasing. However, their views weren't echoed by fellow pundit and former New Zealand player, John Kirwan, who has become well known in South Africa for his ever-regular criticism of the Springboks. In the video clip, shared and edited by Rugga Chat below, there have been some comical additions which certainly add a lighter touch to the views shared. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
Eyewitness News
29-06-2025
- Sport
- Eyewitness News
Springbok coach Erasmus introduces 'hybrid player' Esterhuizen
CAPE TOWN - Innovative South Africa head coach Rassie Erasmus called centre-turned-flanker Andre Esterhuizen a "hybrid player" on Saturday after a 54-7 victory over the Barbarians in wet and cold Cape Town. When replacement back Andre Esterhuizen came on early in the second half of the non-cap exhibition match for the world champions, it was as a loose forward. "You can call him a hybrid player, he is a backline player who can also play in the forwards now," Erasmus told a press conference. "You can have a forward covering a back position like (flanker) Kwagga Smith covering wing, and you can have a back covering a forward position, like Andre. "We started chatting to Andre about it five months ago, now he is a backline player who can also play as a forward." Former Springboks flanker Erasmus, who played key coaching roles in the 2019 and 2023 Rugby World Cup triumphs of South Africa, is a master innovator. He is best known for changing the traditional five forwards-three backs split on the substitutes' bench, choosing six-two and even seven-one combinations instead. Erasmus hailed lock Lood de Jager, back in the team after a two-year absence with a career-threatening heart illness and then injuries. "The condition that he had was almost career-ending, but when we did the fitness testing three weeks ago, he was exceptional," said the coach. LOCK DEPTH "His body might be 32 or 33, but he has had some 'rest' in the last couple of years, and I think that showed. "We are very glad Lood came through, and we have some nice depth at lock now," said Erasmus, referring to eight locks in a 45-man squad for three July Tests against Italy and Georgia. After torrential rain during the eight-try victory over the Baabaas, Erasmus said he was hoping for dry weather when the record four-time Rugby World Cup title-holders face Italy on July 5. "Some of the half gaps and some of the line breaks we made today would have stuck if the weather had been drier," he said. "We cannot wait to play on a dry pitch and improve our attack. We want to get better, and in the next three matches, we will be trying to focus on ourselves before the Rugby Championship. "We know who is going to play in the two Tests against Italy, and certainly by the end of the Georgia game, which will be a grind, we will have a group that have had some game time. "We will not get carried away with this performance, (but) some of the newer guys showed us that they can do it at this level," added Erasmus. Democratic Republic of Congo-born flanker Vincent Tshituka from the Sharks, one of four debutants, scored two tries. South Africa face Italy in Pretoria, then in Gqeberha on 12 July, before a one-off Test against Georgia in Mbombela on 19 July. Two Rugby Championship fixtures each against Australia, New Zealand and Argentina follow between August and October. November Tests in France, Italy, Ireland and Wales complete the schedule for the Springboks, who will defend the World Cup in Australia in 2027.
