Cape Town — Rassie Erasmus and the Springboks should do everything in their power to convince Welsh refereeing legend Nigel Owens to join their camp in preparation for the Rugby World Cup in France later this year.
Erasmus last week revealed that he’s been in contact with Owens about joining the Bok camp with the process still ongoing.
The Springboks, though, look set to get the green light for this appointment as Erasmus places a high value on getting the best help for the national team ahead of defending their world title.
Owens appeared in four World Cup tournaments as a referee from 2007 to 2019 and officiated in the final in the 2015 edition. Few teams in world rugby can say that they’ve had problems with him over the years and that’s why he is top of the list for Erasmus.
He will be in a position to give the Springboks first-hand feedback on where they went wrong in matches and where they can improve and play according to the referee on the day. He’ll also be able to point out trends of refs on what and where their focus is in games, like the ruck or scrum area.
This can most definitely give the Boks an advantage on where and how they can bend the law a bit or where they have to be very careful.Communication has always been one of Owens’ strong points as a referee and he will be able to help the Boks navigate that part with the refs too.
Siya Kolisi, Springboks captain, got his communication spot on in the 2019 World Cup with French ref Jerome Garces and that went a long way in helping South Africa beat England 32-12 in Japan.
But there’s always room for improvement when it comes to these things and that’s where Erasmus wants Owens to help.
Since the 2019 World Cup win, the Springboks, and especially Erasmus, have been in hot water with referees and World Rugby after a video leaked during the British & Irish Lions series in South Africa where Erasmus highlighted errors made by the officials.
The SA Rugby Director of Rugby was banned by World Rugby and received a second ban for ‘criticising’ officials on Twitter during the Springboks’ End of Year tour in 2022.
This is where Owens can also be of big help, the fact that he can assist the Springboks to effectively understand the decisions made by officials and communicate with them, pre and post rugby matches.
The Welshman, though, wrote this weekend on WalesOnline that he is torn over the approach and whether he can accept it as he is still employed by the Welsh Rugby Union where he is helping with their referee development.
He will have to be in South Africa and the Springbok camp full-time as the team prepares for the World Cup later this year otherwise the plan of Erasmus won’t work.
A great example of having a high-profile former referee in your set-up is the current French rugby team.
They’ve utilised the 2019 World Cup final ref Garces in an advisory capacity and have seen an improvement in their discipline.
Since he’s been with the team, they won the Six Nations in 2022, while also achieving the Grand Slam in the process. During game days he sits with the French coaching team which gives him the ability to give real-time advice which can be relayed to the players.
If Erasmus pulls off this coup, it will be another master stroke by the former Bok coach in his quest to help Jacques Nienaber and his team to defend their title successfully.
IOL Sport
