Erasmus says World Rugby rule has widened coach-referee gap

Rassie Erasmus says a World Rugby rule requiring both head coaches to approve pre-match meetings with referees has widened the gap between team leaders and match officials. Coaches remain permitted to request those meetings, but one side can prevent them from taking place by withholding agreement.

The rule is intended to ensure that neither team can influence officials without the opposing coach having the same opportunity. Erasmus believes it has also removed a useful channel for discussing minor tactical matters that could affect how a match is managed.

He said his team declined a meeting this week because it would not have helped after four matches had already been played. With only three training sessions available, the focus was instead on studying information placed on AMS, the central system used for questions and answers involving World Rugby.

Erasmus said coaches would previously alert referees to possible actions such as a midfield maul or a front peel at a lineout. Those discussions could help officials recognise the tactic and judge issues such as obstruction, but they now risk revealing plans to the opposition because both coaches must attend.

The South African coach said the arrangement has introduced gamesmanship, with either side able to block a meeting if it believes the other team would gain an advantage. He also said coaches may now turn to the media when they want to raise concerns, since direct clarification from referees is not always available.

Erasmus cited the All Blacks’ public concerns over claims that South Africa slow the game as an example of that change. He said he understood why teams were speaking publicly, while adding that many international coaches now see a clear separation between coaches, scrum coaches and referees over smaller tactical and law-related issues.