The updated rules mean that head coaches are only permitted a pre-match meeting with the referee if both sides agree and attend. After the game, they can only send six video clips for review through a system accessible to other coaches and officials. This setup, according to Erasmus, has led to a communication breakdown between coaches and referees.
Erasmus highlighted this issue during the recent Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry tour, pointing out that the All Blacks have used the media to claim that South African teams intentionally slow the game. This strategic communication aims to counteract New Zealand’s fast-paced style.
Speaking before the upcoming Test at Ellis Park, Erasmus shared his understanding of why complaints are now more often aired in public forums than in direct discussions with referees.
"I think there’s definitely frustration from the coaches that you can’t have meetings with the referee if both teams don’t agree,"he said.
The limitations, he noted, also affect tactical disclosures:
"There are small things which, in normal referee meetings, you alert them to: ‘Listen, we might do a midfield maul, just be aware of that, know the law around that.’ Now you can’t, because you have to have the meeting with the other coach."
Erasmus elaborated on the tactical complications faced due to the inability to hold private discussions with referees. He sympathized with the frustrations expressed by the All Blacks about game pacing, acknowledging that the protocols make it hard to address such concerns directly during joint meetings.
Erasmus remains skeptical about the utility of these protocols, feeling they now hinder more than help: "Even though it’s clear what the rules permit and prohibit, it’s frustrating that small tactical nuances can’t be discussed directly with referees, leading to airing grievances through the media instead," he commented, summing up the sentiments of many international coaches.
The conversation about these protocols is ongoing, and it remains to be seen how these challenges will be addressed by World Rugby in the future.
