1
Cryptic Erasmus tweet about the tackle that left Adams needing HIA
Springboks World Cup winner Rassie Erasmus has ended his recent Twitter hibernation by posting twice about last Saturday’s late-game crosskick by Dan Biggar to Josh Adams, cryptically claiming the footage from Twickenham highlighted how difficult a team Wales are to beat. The South African director of rugby is back at work in recent weeks following the two-month ban from all rugby activity imposed on him in November by World Rugby.
ADVERTISEMENT
He was pencilled in to hold his first media briefing on Tuesday since his suspension, joining Lynne Cantwell, the South African women’s high-performance manager, on a virtual media conference call to discuss the plans and programme for the Springboks women and Springboks women’s sevens teams for 2022, as well as the landscape of the provincial women’s game in the country.
Erasmus, though, popped his head above the parapet before that media commitment to comment on an incident near the end of last Saturday’s Guinness Six Nations round three game in London which England won 23-19 against Wales.
The initial 15-second clip showed Biggar in the middle of the pitch inside his team’s own half finding Adams with an ambitious 78th-minute crosskick as they sought to chase down the margin which at that stage was 23-12.
“In my opinion, this is what makes Wales always a difficult team to beat!! Dan Biggar has the BMT in the 77th min to kick the crosskick on the spot to Josh Adams! Well defended by England!”
This a better wider shot ! Very tough to defend ! @WelshRugbyUnion @AP9_ https://t.co/Im0hvem1Jt pic.twitter.com/eTcl8K7C2u
— Rassie Erasmus (@RassieRugby) February 28, 2022
Curiously, Erasmus slowed down the clip when England defender Joe Marchant clattered into Adams to try and put a stop to his carry. The Springboks boss then replied to his own tweet by posting a one-minute, 15-second post of the footage that included an analysis ring around Biggar as he kicked the ball and another analysis ring as Adams was tackled by Marchant.
“This a better wider shot! Very tough to defend,” he wrote while he also tagged the Welsh Rugby Union and Agustin Pichot, the former World Rugby vice-chairman, in the tweet.
ADVERTISEMENT
Adams was forced to leave the field for a head injury assessment when play was finally halted to award Wales a penalty for an infringement further up the field.
Erasmus made no comment about the injury sustained by the Welsh winger, but his cryptic inference could well have been that the Marchant tackle should have been reviewed by the TMO and checked to see whether it met the threshold for a red card to be brandished by the referee Mike Adamson.
Comments on RugbyPass
Good player but far from being best in the world. That's an exaggeration. Perhaps Best in world by Northern Hemisphere standards and biasis but certainly not Southern Hemi standards
3 Go to commentsWell one thing about World Cup knock out rounds and Ireland is very clear: they won’t be getting ahead of themselves in ‘27! Because making it beyond the QF is well and truly ‘IN THEIR HEADS’ now…😉
60 Go to commentsHas this guy been dope tested? Sounds like a case of “roid rage”.
1 Go to commentsI would like to see him say that to Eben face to face in a dark alley.
60 Go to commentsYep, lost in translation. There are arrogant people in Ireland, yes. As there are arrogant people in every country, but as a nation, arrogance is not a general characteristic in Ireland. There has not really had a strong representation for any global sport over the years, and hence arrogance is not endemic to Irish people in this regard. I seriously doubt that was said or meant by 12 or 13 players. If it was said, it would have been said in jest and to pay Etzebeth and the Springboks a compliment for how hard fought the game was.
60 Go to commentsOne of the few Bidwell articles I can agree with. If coaches played their players through niggles and consistently played them 80mins then you could make an argument for resting protocols - they obviously don’t and are incredibly responsible, let’s give up the resting nonsense and let the boys play.
2 Go to commentsDaniel Gallan, please for the love of all that is holy, stop writing about rugby. Or at the very least stop telling people you are South African.
21 Go to commentsThis Dr.Rassie 6-2 filth is spreading. We need to ask World Rugby to ban something
1 Go to commentsPity he couldn’t call him a liar to his face, such a brave man.
60 Go to comments“You ain’t counting to 12 or 13 straight after a game, son!” Just because you don’t doesn’t mean everyone else doesn’t “I reckon if anyone said it they would have said, ‘Hopefully, see you in the final’.” Oh, you “reckon”, do you? You weren’t there, you weren’t part of the conversation but you know what was said… Id10T
60 Go to commentsNZ has such a rich history of quality number nines, and woman beaters.
1 Go to commentsThat’s what happens when you are scared of scrums
2 Go to commentsWhats interesting now is the evolution of rugby. More and more the laws are favouring the team in possession and the ball carrier. Teams can keep the ball for longer periods more than ever before with little risk and wear down defences as long as they don’t knock it on. Set pieces are seen as hindrances and as time wasting annoyances by law makers and they are being depowered as lawmakers strive for higher ball in play time. Perhaps its only natural then that teams will take a more assertive and aggressive approach in defence. An offensive defence as you said Nick. This may force errors and turnovers and help teams to break up attacking plays while providing counterattacking prospects. Perhaps we will see more and more teams adopt the blitz in the next 4 year cycle and beyond much like Gegenpress has met Tiki Taka in football. Instead of Pep and Klopp we will have Farrell and Nienaber.
25 Go to commentsArrogant entitled prick with a huge chip on its shoulder
5 Go to commentsApparently the only ppl Scotland can beat are their spouses…thank you / good night!
6 Go to commentsSo….who is Andy Goode?
60 Go to commentsEngland had to bed in their new defensive system while challenging for the 6N. The schedule allowed them to try and focus on defense for first 3 matches and then target Ireland (the pre tournament target match). A win in France would be a bonus.
1 Go to commentsJust from watching the highlights there was plenty to like and plenty to build on. Some of these boys will be Super players soon and they will benefit from the exposure. Sounds like the coaches have made a good connection with these young men.
3 Go to commentsDont know if the Irish players said it or not, but lets all be honest with ourselves, and hopefully both the Irish and French have healed by now, the Media did jump the gun, be realistic, according to 90% of the media it was a France and Ireland final, and the media had 1 of them winning the world cup, not even mentioning the All blacks? Just remember world cups are different, Australia was not the most in form cricket tean in the last cricket world cup, but they have a nack of winning when it matters. I wont go into whether what Etzabeth is saying is true, all I am saying is that its very easy for a team to get ahead of themselves due to the media. Nothing wrong with it, the media got the springboks over confident against England and we nearly lost that one.
60 Go to commentsHey Finn, Well done to the Junior Wallabies…a win is a win but it was a wet and scrappy game. Would be interesting to hear your opinion on two things from watching the game at the Not So Sunny Coast Stadium. Firstly, what is your opinion on the rule change of being able to call The Mark from a kick off and what is the reason for the change? Secondly, your thoughts on the lack of action for the high tackle on the SA fullback. I understand the TMO ruled that he had fallen into the tackle and the tackler didn’t have time to adjust but it was clearly shoulder on head and the Aussie 11 had not made any attempt to adjust his tackle height leading into the tackle. In my opinion he was never going to get his tackle technique correct to complete a safe tackle. If that tackle was made at a more senior and more scrutinised level would we have seen the same result?
2 Go to comments