Ex-England stars: Rassie’s gone ‘crazy’

Former England internationals Mike Tindall and Jonny May stated on The Good, The Bad & The Rugby XTRA podcast that Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus deliberately manufactures challenges to expose squad weaknesses and build depth. Their comments followed South Africa's 42-38 defeat against the Wallabies in Perth, where Erasmus made 13 changes to the starting lineup.

Tindall suggested Erasmus is unbothered by the defeat because he remains focused on long-term squad exposure. May added that elite coaches often intentionally disrupt periods of success to identify areas for improvement, noting Erasmus remains steps ahead of his rivals despite the unexpected lineup changes.