Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has detailed why World Rugby's new joint pre-match referee protocol makes tactical discussions impossible ahead of the second Test against the All Blacks.
Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus has revealed why he decided not to meet with Georgian referee Nika Amashukeli ahead of Saturday’s second Test against the All Blacks in Cape Town.
Erasmus and his All Blacks counterpart Dave Rennie also didn't meet English referee Matthew Carley before the opening Test at Ellis Park, which the visitors won 33–16, because of World Rugby's new pre-match referee protocol.
The new protocol limits the amount of feedback to officials from coaching staff. Until July, coaching teams were allowed to give unlimited feedback to officials. That has now changed to uploading a maximum of six clips and accompanying notes to World Rugby’s Athlete Management System (AMS).
The coaching staff of any team can now only meet with the referee before a Test with the approval of the opposing team, and with them in attendance. However, a meeting featuring both teams and a referee appears unlikely to happen during this four-match series.
