The latest rugby stories making headlines on Sunday, August 23.
Here are your rugby morning headlines for Sunday, August 23.
Erasmus says Springboks have 'a lot of things to put right'
Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus says his side have a "lot of things to put right" after South Africa imploded against New Zealand in the first of their four-Test series at Ellis Park.
Having lead 16-12 early in the second half, the All Blacks scored 21 unanswered points against the back-to-back world champions - who also had two players sent to the sin-bin late on. It brought the Springboks' 12-match winning run - the longest under Erasmus - to a shuddering end.
However, despite failing to make their scrum dominance count in the first half and ultimately conceding five tries, Erasmus kept fairly level-headed as he prepares to pick his side up for next week's second Test in Cape Town.
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âWe have been in many catastrophic situations in our lives,â said Erasmus. âWe lost the first Test against the British & Irish Lions [in 2021] and everyone said it was a catastrophe.
âWe lost the first pool game against New Zealand in the World Cup [in 2019] and everyone said that was catastrophic, so we have been in a lot of catastrophic situations.
âWeâre now in a position where if we want to win the series we have to win three games on the trot. So, without doubt, it puts them in a very good position which they thoroughly deserve.
âNow we have to go to Cape Town and try and win there. If we do, itâs all level, but we still have to win three matches in a row. I wouldnât say itâs catastrophic because there is a way out, and thatâs winning three matches on the trot.â
The All Blacks moved to number one in the world, usurping the Springboks following the 33-16 win.
âWe were thoroughly beaten by a team that is now No 1 in the world â itâll be nice to go into the next game as the underdogs,â said Erasmus.
âI think we were dominant in the scrums, but it doesnât help you if youâre dominant in one or two parts of the game. The All Blacks were more dominant in most parts of the game.
âIâm not going to butter it up with that clichĂ© and say weâre going to learn from this and get better. We didnât need to learn from this; we knew what we had to do on the day â we didnât do it.â
Both Erasmus and All Black head coach Dave Rennie picked out a scrum penalty against the Boks when they were putting pressure on New Zealand near their own line.
âI think weâll always debate scrums, and I reckon every team does," said Rennie. "You know, when you get penalised, you question whether theyâre walking around.
âThey got penalised for walking around eventually, and that was probably a key moment in the game. We got great impact off the bench.â
Erasmus, speaking about the same scrum, said: âEven if we had kicked over that scrum penalty and we won we still made a helluva lot of errors,â he said.
âBut it wasnât a wake-up call. There were just so many things that we did wrong and that New Zealand did right â so Iâm not going to say we learnt a lot of things from this match.
âThere would have been a lot of things weâd have to put right even if we had scratched through this match with a one point win.
âWe didnât play well. Against a class team like New Zealand, if you donât convert, they give you a proper hiding.
âWith hindsight, there were a lot of things we didnât convert; I think there were two or three big moments when we let the game go away from us. Not because we wanted to or because we wanted to make those errors but because New Zealand forced those on to us by being really intense and sharp.â
AC Milan owners exploring deal to back English rugby
The owners of Italian football giants AC Milan are reportedly exploring a deal to become a major backer of English rugby.
Sky News report that RedBird Capital Partners are in preliminary discussions with stakeholders including CVC Capital Partners, the majority-owner of Global Sport Group, which is the single-biggest shareholder in the Gallagher Prem.
Any potential deal is still at a very early stage, with Sky reporting it could either result in RedBird becoming an investor in the Prem, a number of Prem clubs or both.
They added that it's possible no deal could materialise, with discussions described as "informal".
Their interest has emerged just weeks after the sport's power-brokers in England convened a gathering of current and prospective commercial partners, sponsors, broadcasters and investors to pitch rugby union's commercial opportunities to them.
RedBird Capital is understood to have been among the attendees at that event, with PRL officials now engaged in efforts to 'match' clubs with prospective investors.
The Prem are looking to improve their financial fortunes after Wasps and Worcester went bust. Newcastle are now owned by Red Bull, while the owners of AFC Bournemouth have bought a controlling stake in Exeter Chiefs.
Other clubs have been tipped for similar external investors.
The league announced plans to switch to a franchise-style model earlier this year, which will see relegation from the top flight in order to usher in financial sustainability.
All Blacks captain tipped with surprise move
All Blacks skipper Ardie Savea has been tipped with a surprise move to new rugby league outfit PNG Chiefs.
The expansion team will enter NRL in 2028. And, hours before he skippered New Zealand to victory over South Africa in Johannesburg, reports emerged that they could target the 32-year-old.
Rugbypass write that the 2023 World Rugby player of the year could switch codes once his NZ Rugby deal expires after next year's World Cup.
Savea has spent the past two seasons in Japan, playing for Kobe Steelers. He's set to play for Auckland Blues next season following Moana Pasifika's collapse.
The Chiefs offer tax-free salaries, which would be tempting.
Leinster and a return to Japan have also been mooted.
Here are your rugby morning headlines for Sunday, August 23.
Erasmus says Springboks have 'a lot of things to put right'
Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus says his side have a "lot of things to put right" after South Africa imploded against New Zealand in the first of their four-Test series at Ellis Park.
Having lead 16-12 early in the second half, the All Blacks scored 21 unanswered points against the back-to-back world champions - who also had two players sent to the sin-bin late on. It brought the Springboks' 12-match winning run - the longest under Erasmus - to a shuddering end.
However, despite failing to make their scrum dominance count in the first half and ultimately conceding five tries, Erasmus kept fairly level-headed as he prepares to pick his side up for next week's second Test in Cape Town.
JOIN OUR WALES RUGBY FACEBOOK PAGE Latest news, analysis and much more
âWe have been in many catastrophic situations in our lives,â said Erasmus. âWe lost the first Test against the British & Irish Lions [in 2021] and everyone said it was a catastrophe.
âWe lost the first pool game against New Zealand in the World Cup [in 2019] and everyone said that was catastrophic, so we have been in a lot of catastrophic situations.
âWeâre now in a position where if we want to win the series we have to win three games on the trot. So, without doubt, it puts them in a very good position which they thoroughly deserve.
âNow we have to go to Cape Town and try and win there. If we do, itâs all level, but we still have to win three matches in a row. I wouldnât say itâs catastrophic because there is a way out, and thatâs winning three matches on the trot.â
The All Blacks moved to number one in the world, usurping the Springboks following the 33-16 win.
âWe were thoroughly beaten by a team that is now No 1 in the world â itâll be nice to go into the next game as the underdogs,â said Erasmus.
âI think we were dominant in the scrums, but it doesnât help you if youâre dominant in one or two parts of the game. The All Blacks were more dominant in most parts of the game.
âIâm not going to butter it up with that clichĂ© and say weâre going to learn from this and get better. We didnât need to learn from this; we knew what we had to do on the day â we didnât do it.â
Both Erasmus and All Black head coach Dave Rennie picked out a scrum penalty against the Boks when they were putting pressure on New Zealand near their own line.
âI think weâll always debate scrums, and I reckon every team does," said Rennie. "You know, when you get penalised, you question whether theyâre walking around.
âThey got penalised for walking around eventually, and that was probably a key moment in the game. We got great impact off the bench.â
Erasmus, speaking about the same scrum, said: âEven if we had kicked over that scrum penalty and we won we still made a helluva lot of errors,â he said.
âBut it wasnât a wake-up call. There were just so many things that we did wrong and that New Zealand did right â so Iâm not going to say we learnt a lot of things from this match.
âThere would have been a lot of things weâd have to put right even if we had scratched through this match with a one point win.
âWe didnât play well. Against a class team like New Zealand, if you donât convert, they give you a proper hiding.
âWith hindsight, there were a lot of things we didnât convert; I think there were two or three big moments when we let the game go away from us. Not because we wanted to or because we wanted to make those errors but because New Zealand forced those on to us by being really intense and sharp.â
AC Milan owners exploring deal to back English rugby
The owners of Italian football giants AC Milan are reportedly exploring a deal to become a major backer of English rugby.
Sky News report that RedBird Capital Partners are in preliminary discussions with stakeholders including CVC Capital Partners, the majority-owner of Global Sport Group, which is the single-biggest shareholder in the Gallagher Prem.
Any potential deal is still at a very early stage, with Sky reporting it could either result in RedBird becoming an investor in the Prem, a number of Prem clubs or both.
They added that it's possible no deal could materialise, with discussions described as "informal".
Their interest has emerged just weeks after the sport's power-brokers in England convened a gathering of current and prospective commercial partners, sponsors, broadcasters and investors to pitch rugby union's commercial opportunities to them.
RedBird Capital is understood to have been among the attendees at that event, with PRL officials now engaged in efforts to 'match' clubs with prospective investors.
The Prem are looking to improve their financial fortunes after Wasps and Worcester went bust. Newcastle are now owned by Red Bull, while the owners of AFC Bournemouth have bought a controlling stake in Exeter Chiefs.
Other clubs have been tipped for similar external investors.
The league announced plans to switch to a franchise-style model earlier this year, which will see relegation from the top flight in order to usher in financial sustainability.
All Blacks captain tipped with surprise move
All Blacks skipper Ardie Savea has been tipped with a surprise move to new rugby league outfit PNG Chiefs.
The expansion team will enter NRL in 2028. And, hours before he skippered New Zealand to victory over South Africa in Johannesburg, reports emerged that they could target the 32-year-old.
Rugbypass write that the 2023 World Rugby player of the year could switch codes once his NZ Rugby deal expires after next year's World Cup.
Savea has spent the past two seasons in Japan, playing for Kobe Steelers. He's set to play for Auckland Blues next season following Moana Pasifika's collapse.
The Chiefs offer tax-free salaries, which would be tempting.
Leinster and a return to Japan have also been mooted.
Related Coverage
- Jordan double stuns South Africa as New Zealand clinch statement victory | Rugby union â The Guardian
- Variety, âherbsâ and all hands on deck: how All Blacks stunned Springboks â The Times
- Prop George Bowerâs big moment as All Blacks survive Ellis Park scrum horror â Stuff
- Springboks: Rassie Erasmus teases Siya Kolisi return as update issued on wing duo following All Blacks defeat â Planet Rugby
