Latest news with #RSAvITA
IOL News
19 hours ago
- Sport
- IOL News
Rassie Erasmus continues to lead Springbok tactical evolution
The Springbok innovation to create a rolling maul in open-play led to this try for Canan Moodie against Italy. Image: BackpagePix COMMENT Love it or hate it, head coach Rassie Erasmus will continue to innovate as the Springboks look to find the smallest edge on the rugby field to take their game to the next level against opponents. On Saturday, Erasmus made the rugby world notice his ingenuity again, as the Boks conjured up two different tactical plays in the clash against Italy in Gqeberha that caught many off guard. The first was a short kick-off to generate a scrum shortly after the game started and this is the little bit of innovation that blew up on X (formerly Twitter) with pundits and couch critics tearing into the Boks for finding another way to bend rugby's laws. The Springboks are having fun out there! #RSAvITA — Jared Wright (@jaredwright17) July 12, 2025 Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading While they've found a new reason to moan about the world champions, South African supporters have been lapping this up. It's special to witness the out-of-the-box thinking of coaches in an ever-evolving sport. Traditionalists will cling to things staying the same in rugby, but to keep the game relevant and draw engagement, these innovations are needed. And there was absolutely nothing that brought the game into disrepute when it came to this little bit of tactical deviation. Erasmus explained they wanted an early scrum to put Italy under pressure. Last weekend Italy got the ball out of the scrum quicker than normal, and the Boks wanted to counter that. The tactic flopped as the Boks conceded a free kick off it. Italy didn't score, so they could not do the short kick-off again. 🇿🇦 Dull, and not in the spirit of the game. It might be ingenuitive, but that doesn't make it fun in the long — RugbyInsideLine (@RugbyInsideLine) July 12, 2025 Those two generated mauls, copied from a school's team in Stellenbosch, were special and not expected at all. It brought two tries and because the Italians were caught off guard by it, they could not defend it properly. It's a different scenario when a maul is started from a lineout and the opposition is set to defend. Both times, the manufactured maul from open play was illegally sacked and for the first try, the Boks could play the advantage to have Canan Moodie go over for the try. With the second one, hooker Malcolm Marx scored directly from it. The debate over the kick-off and open-play rolling mauls will continue to lead the conversation over the next couple of weeks. There will certainly be calls to change the laws that will ban both, especially from Erasmus' detractors in the Northern and Southern Hemisphere. They've always looked to find something wrong in how the Boks do things on the field. It has been quiet on that front for a while, but now the attacks on South African rugby will start again. However, for as long as the Springbok coaches can innovate within the laws of the game, they will do it. And the importance of former international referee Jaco Peyper in their midst as laws advisor can't be underestimated. The world champions have an expert that can show them where the grey areas are and how to navigate those. The open-play maul could be a thing of the past for matches over the next couple of months as teams will plan to counter it. But the Boks should be encouraged to use it in the Rugby Championship later this year. As for the short kick-off, Springbok supporters would probably like to see it again soon. This time, though, the scrum must work to build that early platform.
IOL News
a day ago
- Sport
- IOL News
Emotional Willie le Roux celebrates his 100th Test match with a stunning victory over Italy
Springbok veteran Willie le Roux and his wife Holly celebrates his 100th Test match in Gqeberha on Saturday evening. Image: BackpagePix Willie le Roux was so nervous ahead of his 100th Test that he wanted the Springboks to run out shortly after he took to the field solo on Saturday against Italy. The world champions won 45-0 in Gqeberha's Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium to seal the two-Test series emphatically. Le Roux (35) ran out first in front of about 44 000 supporters, but said he was quite nervous and didn't really know what to do as the thousands of people welcomed him with a loud cheer. 1️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ 𝐂𝐀𝐏𝐒 A special day for a special player 🥹🇿🇦 📺 Stream #RSAvITA on DStv: — SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) July 12, 2025 Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading The double World Cup winner said his phone has never been this busy as it has been in the week leading up to the Test and his milestone. 'It was emotional to run out and I didn't know what to do with myself and I was just waiting for the team to come out,' the veteran said, on his achievement. 'My phone hasn't been this busy like it was this past week. The combined messages I received during the two World Cup victories weren't even this much. It was quite emotional to cut off those (the messages) because we had a job to do first (to win). 'However, it was difficult to balance that emotion with not wanting to do something stupid because you want to show something.' Le Roux, dubbed the assist king in South African rugby, showed exactly why he is called that when he put in a neat little kick through in the first half for winger Edwill van der Merwe to chase. It was a calculated one that Italy failed to field on the ground and Van der Merwe kicked it forward to score one of his two tries. Was it not for a slight forward pass, Le Roux would've put the speedy winger in for a hat-trick, but the referee called them back as Van der Merwe dotted down in the corner. Me and my dad at the springbok capping 👌👏👌 — Willie le roux (@wjjleroux) June 9, 2013 The Strand native said he's always had the support of his family, and he was happy they could share in his milestone. His dad was there for his debut back in 2013, but on Saturday, both his parents and his wife joined in the celebrations. 'Since I can remember, wherever I played, my dad was there. I thought he didn't work because he was at every game and never missed one. He always made a plan. To have him here, as well as my mother and wife, makes it very special. There are about 35 Strand Honne (friends of Le Roux) who were here too. 'There were some tough times, but I could always count on their support through the highs and lows.'
IOL News
a day ago
- Sport
- IOL News
Five takeaways as Springboks showcase their brilliance in 45-0 victory over Italy
Centurion Willie le Roux had a try assist and were crucial in quite a few attacking Springbok moves against Italy in Gqeberha on Saturday. Image: BackpagePix The Springboks produced a near-perfect performance in the second Test against Italy on Saturday in Gqeberha. There were innovative and smart plays to feast on as the home side romped to a 45-0 victory. Despite making plenty of changes, Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus's faith in the untested combinations paid off. He would've gotten a lot of answers over certain players in the side after the double Tests. We look at five key points from the match. The Springboks are having fun out there! #RSAvITA — Jared Wright (@jaredwright17) July 12, 2025 Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ Boks are rugby's trendsetters Doc Erasmus really took innovation to another level with a short kick-off to force a scrum, and two rolling mauls manufactured in open play that led to tries. Of course, the bomb squad is his brainchild, but this took innovation to the next level, especially at a Test level. The maul was done by a school team in Stellenbosch; the kick-off was just something they thought of doing because Italy took their scrum weapon away last week at Loftus with quick scrums. So, they had a plan with these strange plays, and it paid off in a way. The Malmesbury missile is fit and firing While the attention was on the innovation and attack of the Springboks, World Rugby Player of the Year Pieter-Steph du Toit had a comeback of note. After last playing for the Boks in 2024's Year-end tour, the bruiser showed no signs of the shoulder injury that kept him out of the club rugby season. He quietly went about his business putting his shoulders into tackles and carrying the ball with almost no regard for his body. He looked sharp and will gradually keep building ahead of the Rugby Championship and those double Tests against the All Blacks. Pieter-Steph du Toit comes back after a lengthy injury and plays a full 80 like it's nothing. Generational player. — Philasande Sixaba (@psixaba) July 13, 2025 The newbies are ready for more Test matches The Springbok newcomers fitted in well with the squad over the past three matches and some of them will have one more opportunity against Georgia this coming weekend. But the South African coaches will be more than delighted with how these players have taken to rugby at the highest level. Three players in Asenathi Ntlabakanye, Ethan Hooker, and Cobus Wiese made their debut, while Jan-Hendrik Wessels and Edwill van der Merwe added valuable caps. They all showed that they could make the step up to Test matches, alongside Vincent Tshituka who played in the first Test. Fringe players took their chances For several of the fringe players, like André Esterhuizen, Canan Moodie, Manie Libbok, and Makazole Mapimpi it was an outstanding opportunity to showcase their strengths and how they won't disappoint the Boks when called upon. They maintain the intensity of the regular guys and sometimes even do better. So, it leaves the Boks with plenty of healthy selection options that the rest of the world will be envious of. If they can maintain this ecosystem, it could be another top international season for the world champions. Just looked at it again, Jasper Wiese on your Bro's big day you've done something really dumb. No upside to it. — Rágnár Ván Töndérsön (@Slipcatch) July 13, 2025 A defensive masterclass despite the red card Despite the red card to Jasper Wiese and playing with 14 men for a large part of the game, the defensive organisation by the Boks and the execution of their tackles were excellent. Wiese, who must answer for his mishap, needs to thank his teammates for their efforts. Every single player put their body on the line to ensure Italy left Gqeberha with no points. A couple of times Italy managed to get on the outside with a man, but the Boks' scramble defence saved them. They were determined to keep the Italians scoreless and defended with heart, thwarting every onslaught that came their way.
The Citizen
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Citizen
Video: A silly moment from me – Jasper Wiese after red card
Jasper and Cobus Wiese struggled to find their words after becoming the 37th pair of brothers to play for the Springboks during South Africa's 45–0 victory over Italy in Gqeberha yesterday. According to The Citizen, Cobus (28) made his debut for the national side, coming on as a replacement at lock in the second half. The joy the pair felt at his achievement stood in stark contrast to the remorse Jasper exhibited at his personal failure. Wiese commends his team The loose forward received a permanent red card after head-butting an opponent in the 21st minute. It left the Springboks a man short for about an hour, though they still completely outplayed the Italians to secure a whitewash victory. The Boks are down by one as Jasper Wiese sees red 🟥 Watch the Springboks live on #SSRugby (Ch.211) and SS Grandstand (Ch.201) in three language options 🎙️🏉 📺 Stream #RSAvITA on DStv: — SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) July 12, 2025 It was an important win after the Springboks' 42–24 victory in the first Test against Italy at Loftus the week before left much to be desired. However, the pressure was still felt at times by the 14 men, and Jasper had to watch from the sidelines when his brother eventually took to the field at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. 'I know I let the team down,' Jasper said. 'But well done to them for fighting that out. It's not easy playing with 14 guys and they showed some grit today. But ja, just a silly moment from me.' When asked about his brother's debut, Jasper, who is one year his senior, was at a loss for words for a moment. 'This is… I don't want to get too emotional, but it's special for me. It's a long time coming and I am really, really proud.' Cobus, likewise emotional, thanked God for his opportunity to play. 'It's a dream come true to say the least,' he said. 'An overwhelming sense of gratitude and pride is probably what sums it up the best.' Sacha says the Springboks ticked their boxes The sense of triumph felt by the Springboks and crowd in Gqeberha revealed just how important this one-sided win was after last week's frustrating game. Utility back Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu said the team had done especially well to man up in the breakdown battle, an area the Boks struggled in in Pretoria. 'We ticked that box. They ended with no tries, no points, so I think the coach will be happy with that,' Feinberg-Mngomezulu said. 'To go down [a man] and stick to our structures, that was phenomenal. I think Manie [Libbok], Grant [Williams] and Cobus [Reinach] did a great job at that.'
IOL News
2 days ago
- Sport
- IOL News
How the Springboks' rolling maul tactics secured a 45-0 win against Italy
Centurion Willie le Roux had some neat touches against Italy on Saturday and with this kick set up the try for winger Edwill van der Merwe. Image: BackpagePix The Springboks copied that open play rolling maul tactic from Paul Roos Gimnasium's under-14 B side, and on Saturday against Italy, it paid off twice with tries. South Africa scored seven five-pointers in the 45-0 victory and redeemed themselves after a lacklustre performance at Loftus Versfeld last weekend, to clinch the two-Test series 2-0. On Saturday afternoon in the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha, there were no signs of the Boks allowing the Italians into the game as they took control from the start to the final whistle. It paved the way for an exciting match as the world champions celebrated the 100th cap of Willie le Roux in style. Canan Moodie busts through Italy's defence 💣💣 Watch the Springboks live on #SSRugby (Ch.211) and SS Grandstand (Ch.201) in three language options 🎙️🏉 📺 Stream #RSAvITA on DStv: — SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) July 12, 2025 Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading Despite a red card to eighth man Jasper Wiese and playing with 14 men for most of the contest and even 13 players for 10 minutes after a yellow card, the Boks totally outplayed their opponents. Some tactical innovations caught the Europeans unawares, especially the two mauls in open play. 'It worked twice for us (leading to tries), but people saw it, so it will be done for the next couple of games,' Erasmus said about the innovation. 'A lot of teams do different tactical moves, and we just did a rolling maul in general play, where we lift a guy. We actually saw it done by a school side, Paul Roos, where Willie was. With the maul in open play, you get all the benefits like in a lineout maul when you support the player jumping.' The Springboks are having fun out there! #RSAvITA — Jared Wright (@jaredwright17) July 12, 2025 Those manufactured mauls led to tries for Canan Moodie in the first half and hooker Malcolm Marx in the second forty. Erasmus also elaborated on the short kick-off in the first half. He said they are always cooking up plans and people sometimes only see those that pay off. The short kick, which led to an early scrum, would've been a perfect platform for the Boks if they could shove Italy back. Unfortunately, they conceded a short-arm free kick for an early engagement. That meant the short kick-off plan flopped. 'Manie made a mistake at kick-off,' Erasmus joked at first. They actually did it. I heard last night that the #Springboks were going to kick off short and have a first scrum. Madness #RSAvITA — Leighton Koopman (@Leighton_K) July 12, 2025 'We wanted to get into the contest with the scrum early on. We found that they played a lot of channel-one (quick scrums) balls last week to get it out of the scrum. We make a lot of plans that don't work, and people don't know it normally. But that is an example of something that didn't work out.' On the red card Wiese copped after only 20 minutes of play, Erasmus didn't want to say much about. He stated, though, that Wiese will receive all the support from the team. he eighth man missed the opportunity to play alongside his brother, Cobus, who was one of three debutants on the day. 'I'm not able to say it was wrong or right or how bad it was. It is said because he is not a guy who goes out to do that. He is very committed and passionate about the team.'
