International Rugby

Rugby’s Social Media Moments of the Week: Rassie Erasmus and Springboks produce new controversial tactics

by
Charlie Elliott
14 July 2025

The second full weekend of summer rugby took place, and, as always, there were plenty of things to talk about after the action had concluded.

Wales finally ended their 18-game and two-year-long losing run, beating Japan in Kobe, while England saw off Argentina for the second time in as many weeks.

Andy Farrell’s British and Irish Lions won comfortably in their final game before the Test series against the Wallabies, but have had to bring some new faces in to cover for injuries and gaps.

There was also a record win for a Tier 1 nation, and South Africa turned a few heads with some new ‘tactics’ that had fans divided.

Here are some of the most talked-about moments on social media from the weekend.

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Ireland’s Record Win

Ireland beat Georgia 106-7 and eclipsed the record for their biggest ever Test victory. It was a heavily rotated Irish side that was missing 17 British and Irish Lions and even head coach Andy Farrell, but they got the job done in spectacular fashion.

Darlings of the 2023 World Cup, Os Lobos, looked disjointed and disorganised and were punished against much higher opposition.

It was a sad day for Tier 2 and has made fans wonder whether Tier 1 nations may consider playing the smaller countries on a less-regular basis, given that the players wouldn’t have learnt anything from such a heavy defeat.

Fans have also expressed their disappointment in the gap between Tier 1 and the rest of the world, stating that it is a sad indictment of how little the game has developed outside of the traditional nations.

South Africa Try new ‘tactics’

Rassie Erasmus often divides opinions for how he tries to find loopholes in the rules, with the Springboks’ game against Italy showing some innovative play by the hosts.

Firstly, they intentionally took kick-off with a player in front of the kicker and kicked it too short, which forced a scrum.

This move alone has divided opinion with some saying that it should have been a penalty, others saying it is against the spirit of the game and the rules to manufacture a scrum and others saying it is pure brilliance that South Africa back their pack so much that they are willing to do such a thing.

Later in the game, they then set up what was effectively a lineout in the middle of the pitch, lifting a receiver and then starting a maul, as is so often seen from actual lineouts.

Given that the rules state that a player in the air cannot be tackled, this move is at risk of being extremely overpowered, given that the defending team can only engage when the maul is already in action.

Both moves show Erasmus’ genius but also why he can rub fans the wrong way.

Lions Call-ups

Ahead of the first Test against the Wallabies, it has been a busy weekend for the Lions in terms of replacements. Luke Cowan-Dickie was injured during the AU-NZ Invitational XV game, meaning that Jamie George was called up as a replacement hooker.

Leinster and Ireland prop Thomas Clarkson has been added as injury cover, with some fans seeing it as Farrell being sneaky and trying to get his Ireland players as much experience as possible.

And then just today, three Scotland players were added to the squad. Rory Sutherland, Ewan Ashman and Darcy Graham were all in New Zealand for Scotland’s tour of the Pacific Islands, having just played Fiji, and now find themselves as Lions.

These three picks have been controversial because many see it as being purely on geography, as opposed to merit.

Series Sweep for England

England shocked Los Pumas for the second time in as many weeks with a last-minute victory in San Juan. Jack van Poortvliet’s try right at the death made it two wins from two in Argentina for Steve Borthwick’s side, following on from a dominant win last week.

Borthwick decided not to rotate his side much. Luke Northmore coming in for Henry Slade and Theo Dan coming in for Jamie George were the only changes to the starting XV, forced by injury and Lions selection.

Plenty of players stepped up to the mark, and once the Lions return to international duty in the autumn, a few may be looking over their shoulder more than they would have been before this tour.

Wales Finally Win

For the first time since 2023, Wales have finally managed to win a game. They beat Japan in the second Test between the two sides, following on from a disappointing collapse in Kitakyushu last week that saw them reach 18 Tests without a win.

The run has been extremely tough for Wales fans and playing staff and also saw Warren Gatland depart from his post in the middle of the Six Nations this year.

Interim Matt Sherratt has steadied the ship somewhat and hopes that it won’t take two years for another victory.

Despite a few tense moments late on, Wales overall delivered a positive performance in Kobe and ultimately won by a healthy 31-22 scoreline.

Christian Wade scores on debut

This moment isn’t strictly rugby union, in fact it happened in the Super League, but union fans have still been talking about it, given Wade’s connection to the sport.

Winger Wade made his Super League debut for Wigan Warriors this weekend and managed to score himself a try, despite a relatively quiet overall performance.

He joined them following his departure from Gloucester, following a stint in the Top 14 and NFL before that. A truly great cross-code athlete, Wade is someone who knows how to adapt to a new sport.

A natural-born try-scorer too, this try more than likely won’t be his last in the cherry and white of the Warriors.