Savea drama wouldn’t fly in Bok camp

Former Stormers and Springbok prop, Steven Kitshoff, says Rassie Erasmus would never have tolerated the sort of reported player revolt that unfolded within the All Blacks camp.

Loose forward and stand-in captain, Ardie Savea, has been widely linked to the removal of Scott Robertson as All Blacks coach.

Reports in the New Zealand Herald suggested Savea had been prepared to reconsider his All Blacks future if changes were not made after underwhelming campaigns in 2024 and 2025.

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New Zealand Rugby chair David Kirk has since denied there was a player revolt, while Savea has yet to comment publicly. Even so, what Kitshoff read did not sit well with him.

Speaking on the GameTime podcast, the former Bok heavy said such behaviour wouldn’t fly under Erasmus.

“In the Springboks environment, Rassie would go, ‘if that guy is acting out, I won’t select him anymore’, even if he’s the best player. We’re not picking the best players, we’re picking the right players,” Kitshoff said.

“Ardie’s move like that is not the right move. Are you saying you’re the best and it’s either me or him? I’m ranting but it’s just something I read and I was a bit sour about it.”

Kitshoff was careful to acknowledge that the full picture may not yet be known, but said the reporting left a bad taste.

“I might have read it wrong or it may not have given the full picture but, with the article that came out, it’s a bit tough for me. As a player you get selected to do a job.”

He also referenced past examples where player power had forced difficult decisions.

“Of course, what happened to Jake White, he was outvoted by the players and you either get rid of the coach or the players,” Kitshoff said.

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From Kitshoff’s perspective, Robertson deserved the chance to reset and respond.

“I promise you he would have knuckled down this year and gone, ‘we’re going to change the trajectory of All Blacks rugby’.”

Instead, Kitshoff believes stronger leadership from within the squad could have changed the narrative.

“That’s where I’m like if Ardie could have just manned up and said: ‘I take full ownership to what happened to this team this year and I’m going to do my bit to change the course of side’.

“I would have been like, ‘Ardie, that is the way to do it’… and that’s what I didn’t like.”

Despite the apparent tension under Robertson, Savea continued to be trusted with leadership responsibilities when regular skipper Scott Barrett was unavailable.

“Scott’s the captain, there’s nothing that came out from him because he worked with Razor through all their Super Rugby wins and was the captain,” Kitshoff said.

Photo: Phil Walter/Getty Images