'Straight out lie': New Zealand commentator blasts Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus

New Zealand rugby commentator and personality Scotty Stevenson has sensationally taken aim at Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus for "gaming the system".

Stevenson also criticised Erasmus' demeanour this week for treating the world like "his own empire" over the way the Springboks handled the Eben Etzebeth selection.

Originally ruled out through injury, Etzebeth made a "miraculous" recovery to be named on the bench for the clash with the All Blacks.

Speaking on his SENZ Radio Show Scotty & Izzy, Stevenson suggested that this was essentially a "straight out lie" that goes beyond gamesmanship.

"The All Blacks team was named five o'clock last night. Now, there was plenty of chat on the run home last night, but we'll talk about the Kiwis in a second," Stevenson said on SENZ Radio. 

"But what about Rassie Erasmus? Does he just treat the world like his own kind of empire now, does he?

"If Eben Etzebeth has been named on the bench a day after saying he's been ruled out with a knee injury, he was never ruled out. That just doesn't happen. And you know, the games this guy [Erasmus] plays, you know, like there's a part of me that says is well played, sir. There's another part of you that just gets sick of it.

"And the one thing I saw notice the press conferences this week and the video coverage. Is it just me, or is Rassie Erasmus looking every day more like Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, leader of the House of Harkonnen from June? Like, seriously, what's going on?

"How much Klippies [Brandy] and coke has he been on?

"Honestly, he's just sitting there and he reminds me of, and this is not a weight issue, but he had the countenance of Jabba the Hutt, sort of a man just holding court and just knowing that he was the boss of his empire in that moment. It is really strange.

"But Eben Etzebeth, like there's no way, if you've got an MCL that's ruled you out of a test, you're not starting on the bench.

"So the one thing I'd say about that is, you know, it's one thing to play games, it's another just a straight out lie about your team list.

"I find that a little bit strange, especially given where sport is and the decisions people are making around sports. And I think, you know where I'm getting at for those listeners at home. You know, it's just gaming the system.

"And, you know, I know he's treated as king in South Africa, but you know, gee he treads a line, doesn't he?"

Former All Blacks fullback Israel Dagg said the reversal on Eben Etzebeth was 100 per cent planned.

He went as far as saying that the team is named on Tuesday in order to play mind games with the opposition as late changes are permitted.

"Here in New Zealand, we got super ahead of ourselves, me personally thinking wow, Eben, he's a huge loss," Dagg said. 

"One of the big factors in the Springboks squad, will go a long way [to deciding the test match].

"So you have to say, it was all part of the plan. It was 100% all part of the plan.

"There's no rules, and no one's going to shut them down because, well, the rules state, you can name your team, but you know, if there are injuries or someone recovers, you can change it.

"He names it early, probably for that simple fact, to play these games. 100 per cent.

"I think the cutoff day is Thursday, a couple of days out from Saturday. He names it early so he can play these games."