Springboks remind ref Jerome Garces not to give the All Blacks any favours

South Africa's flanker Siya Kolisi stretches during training. Picture: William West/AFP/Getty Images

There’s been a perception for at least the last decade that the All Blacks have received, by virtue of their status and reputation, the rub of the green when referees had to make 50-50 calls.

South Africa and New  Zealand meet on Saturday in Yokohama on just the second day of the Rugby World Cup. The outcome of perhaps the biggest pool game in tournament history will set back one of the title contenders, and the Springboks have been urging Garces to be fair – with all due respect.

First, assistant coach Mzwandile Stick noted the result could go either way, and “hopefully the match officials will also respect the game”.

He added the All Blacks are favourites, “but we are on an equal level with them at the moment. We are just hoping the officials will treat all the teams equally”.

Stick’s message was reinforced at the team announcement by coach Rassie Erasmus, who recalled when he was playing for the Springboks during their 17-win streak in 1997-98 how they received more respect from everyone for how well they were doing.

“Even referees buy into that respect,” he said. “Because you’re playing so well, referees almost find it tough to penalise you on 50-50 decisions. Because New Zealand were so long No 1 in the world, there was a time when they had so much respect from every level, even referees. When [New Zealand] had teams under the pump, some of the 50-50 decisions just went their way because they deserved that being No 1 for so long.”

With the No 1 rank spread around recently between New Zealand, Wales, and Ireland, and this World Cup being a little more open than previously, Erasmus said: “This is a World Cup where any team can beat any team. Referees should be open-minded going into Test matches.”

What Erasmus didn’t go out of his way to mention was South Africa’s poor record when Garces controls their Tests. The Springboks have lost nine of their 13 Tests that the Frenchman has refereed, one of them the defeat by Japan in the 2015 World Cup that marked the biggest upset in tournament history.

Against New Zealand, when Garces has the whistle, the Springboks have lost all four Tests, including the 2015 World Cup semi-final.

For the first time since that game – 51 matches ago – South Africa have stuck with an unchanged squad.

The same line-up and reserves which beat Japan 41-7 in a warm-up this month will face the All Blacks. The same line-up without captain and flanker Siya Kolisi scored a last-minute try to draw with the All Blacks 16-16 in July in Wellington.

Kolisi has since returned from a knee injury. The only doubt this time involved reserve prop Trevor Nyakane, who also got over a knee injury to confirm his place, and celebrated the birth of his first child this week.

Erasmus said he had no problem selecting lock Eben Etzebeth, who is being investigated in South Africa for an alleged assault in a bar brawl, and for alleged racial abuse in a separate incident on the same night last month.  Etzebeth has denied the allegations.

Erasmus said they were happy to fully cooperate with prosecutors, but nobody yet has approached the team so it hasn’t been a disruption. The coach said he’s worked with Etzebeth for the past decade.

“I know him as a person and have a good relationship with him. When he tells me something I believe him,” Erasmus said.

“There’s a thorough investigation going on in South Africa, and until something comes out of that I’m going to believe what he tells me.”