Former Springbok prop Gurthro Steenkamp says referees referees struggle to spot the “treachery” and “dark arts” used by players to destabilise the scrum.

“The scrum is an integral part of the game and let’s call a spade a spade: the last two years there is a lot of cheating going on, players reverting to what is known as the dart arts… they resort to treachery,” the 2007 World Cup winner told RugbyPass in an interview.

“We see a lot more scrums being voluntarily collapsed. We brought in the brake foot to add stability to the scrum but we still see so many collapsed scrums. It’s not because there isn’t stability. Players are refusing to take the engage. Players want to try and milk the free-kick with the new laws and that’s a tough ask on the referees.

“When you speak to the referees they don’t have the specialist eye.”

Steenkamp has been casting his specialist eye over the La Rochelle pack as the scrum coach since 2021. The heavy-hitting loosehead prop made 53 appearances for the Boks between 2004-2014, was integral to the three-time Super Rugby champion Bulls before heading to France in 2011 where he made 128 appearances for Toulouse and 10 for Stade Francais.

Check out Gurthro’s rugby channel on YouTube

He has made few visits to South Africa in the 14 years since migrating north, which is now home to his family.

“I went back last year for the first time in eight years,” said Steenkamp. “It just wasn’t always possible. It was brilliant, I wish I was back more.

“Post-playing, I didn’t go back because you have to graft here to take every single opportunity and when I eventually got into the professional set-up again, I was busy. The thing that I like about France… is the lifestyle in France.

“At lunchtime, everyone takes a break. In South Africa, you have a half hour. Here you take an hour, two hours. They have their salad, their mains, their glass of wine, the dessert, and then the coffee. They appreciate the simple things in life. Spending time with your family. Spending time with friends. The basic stuff.

“Don’t get me wrong, I miss South Africa. I love my country, I really do. But my kids are older … their lives are here in France. It would be very tough to make them move back to South Africa.”

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