Former All Blacks fly-half Stephen Donald would not be surprised if the Springboks manipulated the HIA laws in order to get some of their experienced players back onto the field late in the game.
Saturday’s clash at Eden Park proved to be a hugely physical affair with a number of injury issues during the encounter.
New Zealand were affected in the first half when Emoni Narawa had to be replaced after seven minutes before hooker Codie Taylor sustained a head injury, resulting in Samisoni Taukei’aho playing the rest of the match.
Sheer number of HIA
In the second period, there were several HIAs with Wallace Sititi and Jordie Barrett the New Zealanders who went through – and passed – the protocols, eventually returning to the field.
For the Boks, Handre Pollard, who had gone off just shy of the hour mark, was allowed to go back on when Damian de Allende left the pitch.
And on The Aftermatch with Kirst and Beav, host Kirstie Stanway-Thorne brought up the topic of HIAs.
“What about all the HIAs? Clearly this was a very, very physical match because it seemed like, particularly in that second half, every five minutes another player was being dragged off with a HIA,” Stanway-Thorne said.
“Whether some of those were legitimate or not, whether some were the mouthguards lighting up or whether there were actual contacts that were being seen, there was a lot of people coming on and off the field.”
Donald responded: “There certainly was. If we talk about the second half in particular, it was interesting, it was like a train station, they were coming and going. It was interesting who was coming and going.”
Handre Pollard’s late return
Stanway-Thorne then queried the Pollard situation as he returned just after Cobus Reinach’s converted try gave the Springboks hope.
A few minutes before that, number eight Siya Kolisi was brought back on as a blood substitution for Marco van Staden, although that was later reversed when the flanker had been patched up.
“The most interesting thing is how you end up with Handre Pollard back on in the last seven minutes when you’re down by seven and you need a win, and Siya Kolisi’s back on in the final 10 as well – two people that had been dragged 10 or 20 minutes into the second half,” the presenter said.
Pollard would have only been allowed to come back on if De Allende, who did look very groggy, was suffering with a HIA and Donald said: “Are you suggesting that it’s a potential coincidence?”
Erasmus often looks at ways to exploit loopholes in the laws and Stanway-Thorne suggested that’s what he was trying to do here.
“Come on, you remember the World Cup. Was it the quarter-final where somehow Rassie managed to have his starters, have his Bomb Squad and then have his starters back on again,” she said. “There’s only one person in international rugby that’s able to do that right now and it’s him and South Africa.”
Donald then joined in with the insinuation over Pollard’s return with a rather sarcastic comment in regards to the value the fly-half could offer late on.
“Look, far be it for us to question how the greatest goal-kicker under pressure can somehow get back on the field when you need a goal-kick, but who knows,” he said.