All Blacks boss Scott Robertson has joined the discussion over the Springboks\u2019 latest innovations, which they showed off in the victory over Italy.<\/b><\/p>\n
South Africa hammered the Azzurri 45-0 on Saturday to clinch a 2-0 series triumph, but much of the post-match debate has centred around the hosts\u2019 tactics.<\/p>\n
The first significant moment came from the kick-off when Andre Esterhuizen purposefully gathered Manie Libbok\u2019s chip from an offside position before it had gone 10 metres, resulting in a scrum to the visitors.<\/p>\n
Later in the game, Rassie Erasmus\u2019<\/a> men set up a maul by lifting a player in the air as they would do at a lineout.<\/p>\n The Boks<\/a> did that twice and both times it resulted in tries as they romped to an impressive win despite having Jasper Wiese sent-off in the opening period.<\/p>\n Springboks divide opinion<\/p>\n It has caused controversy with opinion split over whether it should be legal and the dispute has duly reached New Zealand.<\/a><\/p>\n While their focus has been on their series with France, which they currently lead 2-0, Robertson<\/a> was also intrigued by what he saw at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium at the weekend.<\/p>\n The All Blacks boss revealed that when he was at Perpignan as a player, they did something similar to the Boks\u2019 kick-off routine in order to scrum.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had a hell of a scrum,\u201d he told reporters. \u201c[We] kicked it out on the full, with the forward pack just standing behind the kicker.\u201d<\/p>\n He added: \u201cI was just ready to have a scrum. It shows why you\u2019re there \u2013 you\u2019re there to scrum, and that\u2019s a big part of our game.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not new, but it shows the intentions, doesn\u2019t it? That\u2019s the great thing about rugby, you can be innovative, you can use your strengths, and surprise people.\u201d<\/p>\n