Tahs wary of 'rascal' Rassie
Tue, 06 May 2008 17:32
The unpredictability and sheer creativity of Stormers coach Rassie Erasmus is an element that the Waratahs will have to beware ahead of their crunch Super 14 clash at Newlands on Saturday.
The Stormers coach is well-known for his ability to spring a surprise or two, and the Waratahs will know all about that after they were defeated 30-26 last year in the Super 14 by Erasmus's Cheetahs.
Erasmus then famously had a habit of using a coding system of coloured lights and paddles, which he flashed from the stadium roof to call plays on the field.
The coach also had the knack of staying one step ahead of the opposition by announcing one team midweek then changing it an hour before deadline.
According to rugbyheaven.co.nz, last year's encounter between the 'Tahs and the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein also saw the visitors' on-field pre-match preparation drills interrupted by parachutists, motorbike riders and even the Cheetahs mascot.
"Rassie always has some surprises," Waratahs coach Ewen McKenzie told the website after the 'Tahs arrived in Cape Town ahead of the match.
McKenzie has been around the block a few times, and he revealed that he managed to crack Erasmus's coloured signalling code before it could be used against the 'Tahs.
"We went and watched them play [against the Bulls the week before]," McKenzie said. "We knew what they were going to do when we played the Cheetahs. It wasn't hard to convert.
"I don't know if he uses the [lights] box any more. He is pretty creative.
"There is a method in his play but he always has something creative. We have to have our wits about us," continued the 'Tahs coach.
McKenzie also remembered how Erasmus tried to pull the wool over his opposition's eyes by naming his matchday team at the last moment.
"We matched him. If he wasn't going to name his side then we won't name ours, we [would] name some other side," McKenzie said.
It seems that similar shenanigans could well be on the cards again this year from Erasmus in the closing stages of a tight Super 14 season.
On Monday, conflicting reports were doing the rounds that veteran Springbok prop Ollie le Roux was called into the Stormers squad as emergency cover for the depleted front row.
This was denied by the Stormers management, but the move is not a complete impossibility.
It is exactly this type of guessing game that will sow seeds of doubt amongst opposition teams. And mind games of that sort is something the wily Erasmus revels in.
