The Springboks broke the law with their scrum tactic in the second Test against Italy and should have been penalised, said former referee Nigel Owens.
Rassie Erasmus and the Springboks created a stir with a number of contentious tactics in the second Test against the Italians in Gqeberha, which they won 45-0.
Right off the bat, the Boks manufactured a scrum off the kick-off when André Esterhuizen went ahead of kicker Manie Libbok, resulting in a scrum being awarded for having a player in front of the kicker.
Later in the match, the Boks came up with another tactic that saw Ruan Nortjé being lifted to secure a ball in the middle of the park.
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According to Owens, a penalty should have been given to Italy, while the lifting incident is open for interpretation.
“The key word is ‘deliberate’. Normally, in this kind of situation, if a player is in front of the kick-off, it’s deemed to be offside and a scrum is awarded. What we saw in this instance is that it looks deliberate. It’s a ploy, an action to get a scrum.
“In this instance, if I was refereeing this game, that would have been a pretty straightforward, clear penalty because it’s not the normal action of being slightly in front,” said the Welshman when talking to England great Ugo Monye on Whistle Watch on YouTube.
On Nortjé being lifted in the middle of the field, again, Owens felt it was a grey issue that was open for interpretation.
“A player being lifted in the air to catch the ball from a kick-off is perfectly legal. We see it every game and nothing’s wrong with it at all. Within the laws, this is not an illegal action.
“Is it against the sportsmanship of the game or is it an unfair advantage? If a guy is in the air, the defenders cannot do anything to compete for that ball. You can’t touch the player or bind around those who are supporting him. The opposition pretty much have to wait for him to come down, then they can do something.
“It’s a very clever ploy. Some like it, some think it’s not right, but it all comes down to whether you think it’s fair.”
Owens went on to discuss Jasper Wiese’s red card, which was shown to him after a supposed headbutt on an opponent.
While many commentators in South Africa have felt it was a headbutt and the red card was a harsh sanction, Owens felt it was appropriate given the coming together of heads. Wiese has since been suspended for four matches following a World Rugby disciplinary hearing and will be available for selection again on September 13 when the Boks play the All Blacks in Wellington.
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