During the Rugby World Cup, Warren Gatland urged England to address their concerns regarding South Africa’s frequent use of Head Injury Assessments (HIAs_ with the sport’s governing bodies.
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Gatland’s history with South Africa’s director of rugby, Rassie Erasmus, includes a notorious fallout during the 2021 British & Irish Lions tour.
Erasmus drew criticism for his antics as a “water boy,” a role typically reserved for carrying refreshments, which World Rugby subsequently banned. Gatland famously quipped: “If he is going to act as a water boy, at least he should have some water in his bottle.”
In his Telegraph column, Gatland offered advice to England head coach Steve Borthwick, saying: “I know what it is like to go head-to-head with South Africa’s director of rugby, and my advice to Steve Borthwick would be to make sure he gets on the front foot - and combat any dark arts.”
“To have any chance against the Springboks you must attempt not just to match them physically but also to be tactically smart and show no signs of mental weakness,” Gatland added.
Gatland suggested raising concerns subtly to highlight issues from a refereeing perspective. “For example, if I was Steve, I would be asking some questions about the number of head injury assessments that South Africa called for in their victory against France.
“I am not questioning whether they were legitimate or not but there have been people out there speculating about it and I would certainly be putting it out there and highlighting that it looked unusual and raising questions about the protocol.”
When asked if he would use HIA regulations to rotate players for rest, Erasmus responded curtly: “no.”
“If in doubt, play on” – Wayne Barnes call for three changes to ‘improve rugby’
Discover the three significant changes Barnes advocates for rugby union in the current landscape, aiming to enhance the game’s appeal and competitiveness.
Read his full column for The Telegraph by clicking here.
Change one: Referee reviewers must encourage the game to flow
He wrote in his column: “With the game crying out for less stoppages and for more attacking rugby, a general philosophy around allowing the game to flow should be the focus of what the selectors are feeding back to match officials.”
RUCK Judgment: Spot on – it just makes sense that referees are recognised for promoting gameplay rather than enforcing rules to the extent that the game halts more frequently than in American Football.
