South Africa have been accused of showing a lack of respect by Italy head coach Gonzalo Quesada following their emphatic 45-0 win over the Azzurri.
The Springboks sparked controversy from the opening whistle by deliberately conceding a scrum. Fly-half Manie Libbok kicked the ball just a few metres forward from the kick-off, with centre André Esterhuizen blatantly offside, prompting referee Andrew Brace to halt play and award Italy a scrum on halfway.
TV cameras then cut to Springbok director of rugby Rassie Erasmus, who appeared to smirk at the move—strongly suggesting it had been rehearsed in advance to flex South Africa’s forward dominance early on.
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Quesada, however, didn’t see the funny side.
“Concerning the first action, I prefer not to do any comments. Because I was really surprised, I didn’t take it well. They can beat us without needing to do these kind of tactics,”
“I think we were, these last couple of weeks, extremely respectful, with a lot of humility coming to the ground, the land of the world champions.
I don’t know if it was something we did or said that created that first move but I will only say that I was really surprised.”
Nigel Owens: ‘It looked deliberate’
Former top referee Nigel Owens has weighed in on the incident, criticising the decision and urging World Rugby to clarify the law.
“The key word is ‘deliberate’, because normally in this kind of situation, if a player is in front of the kick-off, it’s deemed to be offside and a scrum back,” he explained.
“The reason that is a scrum is because the kick tends to go at least 10 metres, so actually the effect of the players who may be slightly in front chasing that ball can be very, very minimal, if any effect at all.
But then again, they are in front and for that reason it’s deemed to be an accidental offence and a scrum back.
What we saw in this instance is it looks deliberate. It’s a ploy, it’s an action to get a scrum so in this instance, if I was refereeing this game, to me that would be a pretty straightforward, clear penalty because it’s not a normal action.”
Expect World Rugby to weigh in.
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Three Bold Changes That Would Instantly Improve the Lions Starting Line-up
The British & Irish Lions have made history with an all-Scottish 10-12-13 axis for the first time ever when they take on Australia in Brisbane this Saturday.
Finn Russell, Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones will pull the strings in midfield, with head coach Andy Farrell opting for a bold playmaking spine. The rest of the starting XV is made up entirely of Irish and English players, as no Welshmen have made the matchday 23.
It’s the first time since 1896 the Lions have named a squad to face Australia, New Zealand or South Africa without a single player from Wales.
There were three selections that fans seemingly didn’t agree with—and social media has been ablaze ever since the squad was announced.
Fan fury: Jac Morgan axed
The biggest talking point? The omission of Jac Morgan, who many tipped as a nailed-on starter after a standout tour.
It’s a selection bombshell that’s ended over a century of Welsh involvement in Lions Test matches—stretching all the way back to 1899.
One of the most consistent performers in Welsh rugby, Jac Morgan has captained his country and stood out as a breakdown beast. His work rate, defensive engine, and ability to carry hard in traffic have made him a fan favourite. Many felt his form on tour warranted a starting Lions spot—or at the very least, a place on the bench.
One fan wrote: “No Morgan?! What more could he have done?”
Another said: “Not even on the bench—this is a joke!”
Another added: “Where’s Morgan, Pollock, Chessum? The selection reeks of bias.”
Another said: “Morgan’s in the form of his life and Farrell literally said ‘he can play wherever he wants’… then doesn’t pick him!”
Another slammed it as: “No Jac Morgan is laughable, been the best 7 on tour by a country mile.”
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