Furious South African rugby captain Corne Krige is contemplating legal action against Wallabies’s coach Eddie Jones after Saturday’s ill-tempered test.
Krige on Monday rejected Jones’s claims he spat at an Australian player during the Tri-Nations test in Brisbane which the Wallabies won 29-9.
The captain wouldn’t discount the possibility of taking legal action against Jones for his accusations.
‘Well, it something that I will discuss. I think it’s really unfair that someone can just go out and make these allegations.â€
‘It’s very disappointing that it would come to this,” Krige said on the team’s arrival in Dunedin for Saturday’s Tri-Nations test against the All Blacks.
‘There was a lot of emotion in the game but I think a lot of things have just been blown out of perspective.”
Krige and the Springboks touched down at Dunedin Airport hoping to put the events of the weekend — which saw two players suspended and a slanging match explode between the two teams — behind them.
On the charge of spitting, directly levelled at him by Jones, Krige was emphatic he was innocent.
‘That is incredible. I had a very bloody mouth and I was spitting a lot because there was blood in my mouth the whole time,” Krige said.
‘If any of the Australian players can look me in the eye and say that I spat at him, I’d love to speak to him.
‘If I did spit on anybody, it was accidental. I could never look at somebody and spit at them.”
Krige felt for suspended team-mates Bakkies Botha and Robbie Kempson but said the Springboks had to accept their punishments.
Botha was outed for eight weeks after being found guilty of attacking Wallabies’s hooker Brendan Cannon in the face, while Kempson was suspended for four weeks for a high and late tackle on No 8 Toutai Kefu, who could miss a game due to injury.
Krige made it clear there was no love lost between the rival teams.
‘You know, in the week before the game the Australians tried to build it up, saying it was going to be physical. Then after the game, there always seems to be a lot of moaning from them,” Krige said.
‘I think Tana Umaga summed it up when he said it’s not tiddlywinks. It’s a physical game.
‘If isolated incidents happen, then the citing commissioner sorts them out, and that’s exactly what happened.”
Krige stopped short of saying he was glad to be out of Australia but, like his coach and manager, he said it was a pleasure to be in New Zealand.
‘The people here really love their rugby. New Zealand plays a physical game but we have never had problems after the game.
‘Last year, I was cited for biting and Scott Robertson testified for me. In Australia, their players testified against us.
‘I think that shows the New Zealanders approach the game with the right spirit.”
Following the 16-52 loss to the All Blacks in Pretoria and Saturday’s defeat in Brisbane, Krige admitted the Springboks were under pressure to perform at Carisbrook.
‘For sure. The New Zealanders are flying high. But maybe we’re going to play better under pressure.” – Sapa-NZPA