Gregor Paul has discovered a villain, and his name is Rassie Erasmus.
The New Zealand columnist recently unleashed a column comparing the Springbok coach to Lex Luthor, Superman’s arch-nemesis who believes himself beyond reproach, whilst demanding World Rugby take action against what Paul describes as a “litany of infringements that go against the spirit of the game.”
The latest dastardly deed? Erasmus making changes to his starting XV ahead of the second Test that the All Blacks lost. Teams are meant to be announced 48 hours before kick-off in World Rugby competitions, but Erasmus exploited the fact that the Greatest Rivalry series has been organised by the two teams and isn’t overseen by SANZAAR.
Scandalous. Absolutely diabolical. Alert the authorities immediately.
Except here’s the inconvenient truth Paul conveniently ignores, if Rassie Erasmus is a Lex Luthor-type villain, then the same argument applies to the All Blacks. They’ve been operating in grey areas, bending rules, and pushing boundaries for decades whilst simultaneously presenting themselves as rugby’s moral guardians.
Glass houses, stones, and all that.
The great team sheet scandal
Let’s examine this heinous crime that has Paul clutching his pearls. Erasmus wasn’t technically bound by the normal 48-hour rule because the Greatest Rivalry series exists outside traditional governance structures. He made changes and explained they were weather-related. These rules are archaic anyway.
Also read: The pearl-clutching over Rassie Erasmus is truly ridiculous this time
Working within the parameters of the competition structure isn’t villainy, it’s understanding the rules better than your opponents.
Paul references Erasmus’s infamous hour-long video critique of referee Nic Berry during the 2021 British & Irish Lions series as evidence of a pattern. Fair enough, that crossed lines and Erasmus was sanctioned accordingly. But using it to paint everything he does as nefarious ignores context and conflates separate issues.
The 48-hour controversy isn’t rule-breaking. It’s superior understanding of regulatory frameworks.
The All Blacks’ selective memory
Here’s where the hypocrisy becomes delicious. Dave Rennie has spent this entire series insisting that the Springboks don’t scrum straight, taking his complaints public whilst painting South Africa as serial offenders.
Meanwhile, his team proceeds with high tackles that go unpunished and side entries at the ruck that would make even the most lenient referee wince.
Also read: Rennie praises ref but still says Boks’ scrum tactics illegal
Rennie can cry about scrums all day. Erasmus finds better ways to gain advantages within the laws. Then he’s accused of acting villainously whilst Rennie’s complaints are treated as legitimate grievances.
The double standard is absolutely staggering.
The McCaw precedent
Let’s talk about Richie McCaw, shall we? The hallowed All Black captain who everyone knew was a master of illegal breakdown work but few referees could catch.
McCaw found ways, sometimes blatantly illegal, to steal ball at the ruck. He was the absolute best at it. Everyone in world rugby knew exactly what he was doing. He’d be penalised occasionally, but not nearly as often as his infractions warranted.
Was he vilified as operating against the spirit of the game? Was he compared to comic book villains? Did columnists demand World Rugby sanctions?
Of course not. He was lauded as a genius, a student of the game, a master tactician who understood the dark arts better than anyone.
But when Erasmus operates in grey areas, suddenly it’s an affront to rugby’s very soul.
This series’ convenient blindness
The All Blacks’ tactic of holding players up in this series has led to repeated head contacts that aren’t being penalised as much as they should be.
Their side entries at the ruck have become laughable in their brazenness. Yet Paul says nothing about these systematic approaches to bending and breaking laws.
Dave Rennie’s constant whinging about the South African scrum has become a dull drone, white noise designed to influence referees whilst distracting from his own team’s transgressions.
When New Zealand operates on the edge of legality, it’s “playing smart rugby” and “understanding the breakdown better than anyone.” When South Africa does it, apparently we need comic book villain comparisons and calls for World Rugby intervention.
The accountability myth
Paul writes: “And, certainly, the South African media have no interest in holding their super coach to account because he wins, he unites and he builds a narrative around nation-building that is much bigger than the ethics of how he does it all.”
This is nonsense wrapped in condescension.
The South African media and public absolutely will hold Erasmus accountable if he breaks rules. The difference is we’re capable of distinguishing between actual rule-breaking and working intelligently within existing frameworks.
The expletive pearl-clutching
Paul concludes his villain manifesto by suggesting Erasmus should be reprimanded for using an expletive during a press conference.
Sure. Reprimand away. Fine him. Make him write “I will not say naughty words” one hundred times.
But let’s not pretend this represents some moral failing that threatens rugby’s integrity. It’s a swear word in a heated moment, not match fixing.
The fact Paul includes this alongside genuine grievances reveals how desperately he’s reaching to paint Erasmus as beyond redemption.
The competitive advantage game
Yes, Rassie Erasmus lives in grey areas. Yes, he looks for competitive advantages wherever regulations permit. Yes, he’ll exploit every loophole, challenge every interpretation, and push every boundary that laws allow.
That’s not villainy. That’s competitive sport at the highest level.
The entire point of elite competition is trying to get one over your rival, whether through late team changes that aren’t explicitly forbidden, holding referees to required standards, or getting inside opponents’ heads.
The laws exist. Erasmus works within their confines. If those laws need tightening, that’s World Rugby’s responsibility, not his.
The real issue
What probably really bothers Paul, and New Zealand rugby more broadly, is that Erasmus does these things better than they do whilst also beating them on the field.
The All Blacks have operated in grey areas for generations without facing this level of scrutiny or vilification. But when someone else masters the dark arts whilst also winning Tests, suddenly it’s an affront to everything rugby holds sacred.
South Africans love Rassie Erasmus not despite his methods but because of them. He understands that winning requires maximising every advantage within legal boundaries. He refuses to apologise for being smarter, more thorough, and more strategic than opponents who’ve grown comfortable with moral superiority replacing actual superiority.
