Erasmus fires back at All Blacks' 'slow game' claims ahead of Ellis Park test

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — It couldn't be South Africa vs. New Zealand without a phony war.

Building to their first test at Ellis Park on Saturday, the touring All Blacks have been pushing the narrative that South African teams including the Springboks deliberately slow down the game to undermine New Zealand attempts to speed it up.

Coach Dave Rennie, assistant Tana Umaga and senior player Codie Taylor have all made the claim while scoring 142 points and conceding 40 against three clubs.

Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus disagreed with the assertion on Monday and noted the last two test fixtures between them last September; New Zealand won 24-17 in Auckland and a week later South Africa won 43-10 in Wellington.

“Were those slow games?” was Erasmus' rhetorical question to the media.

Beside Erasmus was technical adviser Jaco Peyper, who refereed 67 tests, many involving the All Blacks. Peyper emphasized that teams have 30 seconds to form a set-piece once the referee marks the spot with his foot.

“We have to adhere to that and we train for it,” Peyper said. “You can do whatever you want inside those 30 seconds. There's nothing in the law that says you can't idle before the mark is given.”

Erasmus added: “If in those 30 seconds you want to go down and pray, that is your right.”

But the coach understood and sympathized with the All Blacks' mind games. Erasmus believed it was born out of World Rugby changing the protocol around pre-match meetings between the coach and the ref. Coaches can no longer meet the ref separately. And if one coach doesn't want to meet the ref then they both can't.

Rennie said on Monday that Erasmus “felt there wasn't any need to meet” this weekend's referee Matthew Carley. “I feel the same way to be honest.”

Rennie added they sent video clips to World Rugby in a system open to other teams and got clarity in reply. Erasmus believed not meeting this week saved an open argument between the coaches over time wasting.

But he also felt the new protocols were frustrating all international coaches and widening the gap between coaches and match officials, leaving coaches to voice their opinions through the media.

“I totally understand why the All Blacks voiced some of their concerns,” Erasmus said. “That's the only option.”

Meanwhile, Erasmus said they were waiting on captain Siya Kolisi (hamstring) and prop Ox Nche (knee) to be cleared of "niggles."

And New Zealand summoned uncapped Highlanders tighthead prop Saula Ma'u to replace Chiefs loosehead Ollie Norris, who suffered tour-ending knee cartilage damage against the Bulls on Saturday.

See AP’s full rugby coverage here

New Zealand's head coach Dave Rennie watches players warming up for a rugby match between Bulls and New Zealand, in Pretoria, South Africa, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

South Africa coach Rassie Erasmus plays with the ball prior to a rugby test match between Argentina and South Africa in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department finalized a rule Monday that will pave the way for people who've been barred from owning firearms because of criminal convictions to apply to have their gun rights reinstated.

The process launched by newly confirmed Attorney General Todd Blanche is a victory for Second Amendment advocates who have long pushed for nonviolent people with felony convictions to be given a pathway to regain their legal right to own firearms.

“The Second Amendment is not a second-class right, and the federal government should not permanently deprive Americans of a constitutional right without regard to whether they pose a danger to public safety,” Blanche said in a statement. The attorney general said the new process will protect “public safety while giving deserving Americans a real path to restoration.”

It’s the latest move by President Donald Trump's administration to ease firearms restrictions. The Justice Department moved earlier this year to roll back and modify a slate of gun regulations. Separately, the department recently decided against challenging a court ruling that struck down regulations on firearm suppressors and certain guns.

Federal law has long allowed people who've had their gun rights stripped because of felony convictions to petition the government for the ability to own firearms again, but Congress since 1992 has effectively barred the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives from processing applications.

The Trump administration's rule aims to circumvent that by establishing a new application system using an online portal.

The Justice Department says restoration will be granted on a case-by-case basis, weighing a person's record and reputation to determine whether they pose a likely threat to public safety. Officials say people who have been convicted of violent crimes, registered sex offenders, people living in the country illegally and others whom officials believe pose a danger to society will be denied “absent extraordinary circumstances.”

Kris Brown, the president of Brady, which advocates for stronger gun laws, said her group is still reviewing the administration’s final rule but has stressed the need for a “robust and thoughtful system that minimizes the risk to public safety."

“Yet the Trump administration has consistently shown us they have no such discretion, including by restoring gun rights to convicted domestic abusers and violent January 6 insurrectionists, and by tirelessly rolling back broad policies proven to prevent crime and gun violence,” Brown said in a statement.

Attorney General Todd Blanche listens as President Donald Trump speaks at the David Mack Center for Training and Intelligence, Friday, Aug. 14, 2026, in Garden City, N.Y. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)