During Sunday night time’s World Cup win over Scotland, director of rugby Rassie Erasmus and assistant coach Felix Jones caught the eye of the cameras by speaking from the Springboks’ coaches field utilizing colored lights.
It instantly introduced again recollections of Erasmus famously used related techniques throughout his days as head coach of the Free State Cheetahs over a decade in the past.
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At the time, Erasmus grew to become famend for utilizing colored playing cards after which colour-coded lamps on prime of the Free State Stadium to speak with his gamers.
It’s led to a widespread response, with British & Irish Lions legend Alun Wyn Jones even suggesting that Erasmus was an eccentric genius.
As additionally showcased by skilled journalist Hendrik Cronje, who’s overlaying the Springboks on tour, the coaches have one other very clear and intelligent plan ought to there be an emergency at hooker.
With simply two specialist hookers in Malcolm Marx and Bongi Mbonambi on the match, the Springboks do want to think about what back-up they’ve if there was an harm simply earlier than a recreation.
Of course, Deon Fourie is subsequent in line ought to there be a necessity for emergency cowl, however because the footage under demonstrates, it’s evident that flanker Marco van Staden is getting by some primary coaching jus to make sure the Springboks have choices in a worst-case state of affairs.
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When it got here to the Springboks on Sunday, the coaches insisted there was nothing unlawful in what they had been doing when it got here to the lights system, and coach Jacques Nienaber insisted that it was primarily used for harm and substitution-related communication.
“In terms of the lights, it started when we played the French in Marseille last year. With this dome, the sound is phenomenal, you can’t hear people,” he stated.
“Because there are lots of channels during the match where we communicate, it’s difficult in that atmosphere to talk to our support staff. A lot of teams will have a system to certain aspects, like, for example, how serious is the injury? Is it just a knock? That type of communication.”
“It’s like using hand signals. You don’t need permission from World Rugby. I was still at Munster when we employed a similar system,” stated Nienaber.
“The gentle could be crimson if it’s a critical factor and one should think about a substitution. Amber tells the assist workers to present a man one other 5 or ten minutes to see if he’s okay. Green clearly means go-on. We did it in Ireland in 2016-17 too.
“It’s a straightforward approach of speaking directions as a result of, with the stadium noise, the radio channels can get consumed by medical speak. We actually simply use it for accidents or substitutions.
“There’s nothing tactical or technical about it.”
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There was a widespread response to the Springboks’ use of the lights
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