It seems like all is well between World Rugby and Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus, with both parties finding some common ground when it comes to the global game.

An SA Rugby delegation led by Erasmus attended World Rugby’s Shape of the Game conference in London last week, where the future of the sport and a range of topics were discussed.

Erasmus was joined by Jaco Peyper, Rian Oberholzer, Dave Wessels and Felix Jones.

In the wake of the conference, various media outlets reported that Erasmus, along with France, successfully blocked major changes to 15-man rugby, preserving the sport’s traditional structures and unique set-piece dynamics.

While South Africa could not get all their requests granted, there appears to be growing synergy and alignment between World Rugby and one of its leading unions.

READ: NO LAW CHANGES 

“I’m very happy that we went. Felix and Peyper have been before, and Rian and Mark [Alexander, SA Rugby President] always go,” Erasmus told reporters at the SA Rugby headquarters in Plattekloof, Cape Town.

Erasmus added that it was the first time he had attended since his ban by World Rugby.

To jog the memory, Erasmus was handed a suspension in November 2021 after being found guilty of misconduct by an independent committee for his hour-long video critique of match officials, particularly Australian referee Nic Berry, following the first Test of the British & Irish Lions series.

“This is the first time I’ve joined again since my ban, and I’m really glad I did because I think you sometimes get out of touch with World Rugby by just virtual calls and emails and following them on Instagram, whatever you do. You want to see a guy in the eyes, and I feel that happened over the last couple of days there.

“At the first meeting, I thought, why did I fly here? Because it was really clunky and busy. But then after that, when they broke into the different rooms, and everybody could give input, the nice thing is that the committee who’s deciding on different things was there.

“It was a good week to meet the guys eye-to-eye, to talk about the discussions, and I’m fairly satisfied that we gave our opinion and that World Rugby is making the decisions.”

Erasmus said he is confident that nothing drastic will change ahead of the 2027 World Cup.

“I don’t think that’s going to be the case,” he said when asked about possible law amendments.

“I was not fondly giving compliments to World Rugby in the past, but this was definitely well run, and proper input was given.”

He added: “We certainly won’t align to a T and have every single one agree on everything, because you can see certain teams enjoy certain aspects of the game.

“So that’s a nice thing. When the guys started at the beginning of this year talking about culture and the spirit of the game, that came through really well for me in that room. Of course, you sit there and listen, and you think that guy is really talking about what Fiji wants.

“But it’s good, because you won’t get it all, but we might use it. South Africa talks about what will be good for South Africa, but then there’s a guy there, Mark Harrington, who always brings everyone back to what’s best for rugby.

“I was really lucky to be part of it.”

SA Rugby CEO Rian Oberholzer echoed the sentiment.

“It is very clear that there is an understanding that there is nothing really wrong with the way we’re playing the game,” he said.

“There’s no need for dramatic changes in the game and the way we approach it. It is still a game for all shapes and sizes.

“It is still a game where the contest is important. So I think we had a good week.”