Kirwan accuses Erasmus of orchestrating 'conspiracy' to lull All Blacks before Test series

John Kirwan has accused Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus of engineering a tactical deception, claiming Erasmus told South Africa’s provincial sides to abandon their trademark style against the All Blacks in order to leave Dave Rennie’s squad underprepared for the first Test at Ellis Park on Saturday.

New Zealand arrive in Johannesburg having beaten the Stormers, Sharks and Bulls on tour, but Kirwan — a World Cup-winning wing with the All Blacks — argued on his Rugby Rivals podcast that those victories were essentially meaningless as a gauge of what awaits them against the Springboks.

“I think Rassie has told all the provincial sides to actually play like the All Blacks if you want, but do not play like the Springboks because we want to lull them into a false sense of security,” Kirwan said. “It just smells of conspiracy to me.”

The comments came in response to former Springboks lock Victor Matfield suggesting the All Blacks were “looking good” after their provincial wins. Kirwan was unconvinced by Matfield’s praise, reading it as deliberate misdirection.

“I think you are absolutely lying, Victor. I think you’ve got that wry smile on your face and I personally believe that deep down you don’t think the All Blacks have a chance,” Kirwan said. “You do not think we have a chance because you don’t think we’ve been tested at all with Springbok type of rugby.”

Matfield acknowledged the provincial sides had not been at full strength, noting that teams had only returned from pre-season two weeks before the tour matches and that fitness levels were consequently below par. He also revealed that the Stormers’ attack coach had told him before their game that the side intended to play a more expansive style rather than kick — a decision Matfield implied was a tactical miscalculation.

“It’s going to be a different game on Saturday,” Matfield said. “That’s why the smirk is there.”

Kirwan pointed to the absence of box kicks and structured kicking games across all three provincial matches as further evidence that the sides had been coached to play in an uncharacteristically open manner. Whether Erasmus did issue such instructions remains unconfirmed, but the exchange underlines the psychological gamesmanship already surrounding the series opener.