Erasmus responds to fears he could be in trouble with World Rugby
Rassie Erasmus doesn’t believe he will land himself in hot water following his series of tweets commenting on clips from the recent Springboks games versus Ireland and France. South Africa were narrowly defeated in both those Autumn Nations Series matches and the director of rugby reacted by posting some footage on social media, starting with a ball kicked at a ruck that turned over possession for an Irish try and then a six-video series with action from the loss to the French.
The posts have caused huge controversy on social media but Erasmus, who is only recently back involved with the Springboks following his lengthy matchday ban following criticism of the match officials during last year’s first Test versus the British and Irish Lions, was adamant that his latest musings weren’t criticisms of the match officials. Instead, they were merely just explanations to South African supporters on where his team was going wrong and where they needed to get better.
Erasmus wasn’t scheduled to attend Tuesday’s Springboks team announcement media briefing ahead of this Saturday’s match versus Italy in Genoa, but he made a surprise appearance alongside head coach Jacques Nienaber and he was quickly asked about his recent tweets.
Acknowledging the presence of Erasmus and wanting to quickly tackle “the elephant in the room” given the massive social media commentary in recent days, a journalist asked Erasmus: “I guess you are there for reasons also to do with tweeting. Can we address that, your criticism of some decisions? Are you not worried that you are going to be landing in hot water again with World Rugby?”
Erasmus didn’t take offence to the query at the briefing that was being staged to discuss the four changes to the Springboks XV for the third match of their European tour next weekend. Instead, he embarked on a lengthy answer that concluded with him insisting his posts were only to explain incidents in matches to South African fans and that he wasn’t responsible if people were interpreting his comments as criticisms of the match officials.
“You are welcome to ask that,” he began. “We have always had the thing where we have stayed stronger together. I am talking about South Africans and when we get media out there it is all over the world and we have always been really close to our fans. For us, the fact that when something goes wrong on the field and I am sure people form their own opinions and that I understand, but I think if you go and listen to the tweet, it is actually for South African supporters to understand that listen here, there is something that some guys are doing really well which we either don’t understand, maybe a player on the opposition side; obviously Cheslin (Kolbe) can’t go in that high – if he is not going to tackle the guy back he will have to go lower.
“And I think if you go and read that tweet I think that people immediately adjust something to the narrative they want to put out there. Even in the tweets where we said with the TMO apparently not being available, we said I don’t believe that Wayne Barnes will let that go and just say listen the TMO is not available, I just can’t believe that from Wayne Barnes. That is why we said we’d no qualms with that try.
“So that is for South African people to share with them that listen here, when we pass a pass off ten metres it’s an optical illusion, it looks forward and then a short pass and the same thing doesn’t. And if we don’t learn from those things and get those things right it will never change.
“Yeah, I understand, but again I don’t tag people, I don’t say to the referees, I have never said something like that. I am saying these are the things that we must fix and if somebody doesn’t want to follow that, unfollow me or mute me but surely there are South African supporters that would like to know where we are going and where we are getting it right and where we are getting it wrong?
“And if it is the way we communicate, the way we read the game, the way we do our actions when we fall on the wrong side, those are things that we need to fix. No, it’s not having a go at the referee. If that was having a go at the referee I don’t think Wayne Barnes will make all of those bad decisions. I mean, he is the No1 in the world referee, more than 100 Test matches.
“It’s obviously something on our side that we have to fix. Again, I think South African supporters would like to understand that – and then if people put a narrative to that that I can’t control, unfortunately.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Good to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
17 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
7 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
17 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
7 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
7 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
26 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
17 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
26 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
17 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
84 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
7 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
17 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
14 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
17 Go to comments