Most of what Rassie said is true - Andy Goode
Rassie Erasmus may find himself in hot water with World Rugby but most of what he said was true, it was an education for fans and my only criticism is he could have been more succinct.
Posting a 62-minute video to air one’s opinions on contentious refereeing decisions may not be the right way to go about things but, aside from the sheer length of it and the detail he goes into, I don’t think it’s any different to what Warren Gatland did last week.
Gatland utilised the more traditional media to discuss his views on the appointment of Marius Jonker as TMO rather than just going via the official channels so Erasmus has taken things to another level but it has to be one rule for everyone.
The world has moved on and whether you put your point across in a newspaper, on television, on a podcast or via your own social media platforms as a coach, it should be judged the same. Media is media.
I very much doubt there are any rules specifically regarding the posting of a video on social media by a coach in World Rugby’s age-old lawbook and they need to ensure they’re applying their own laws fairly and consistently, whilst also addressing their own issues.
They remain silent on a lot of matters and we haven’t heard anything from them about the lack of a contingency plan once Brendon Pickerill was unable to fulfil his TMO duties for the first Test.
That started this whole ball rolling with Jonker then appointed as TMO for all three Tests, Gatland speaking out, Erasmus retaliating and here we are now. It’ll be interesting to see what their response is but they need to look at themselves as well.
There is no doubt that, particularly in a series such as this one, both teams should be able to get clarity on certain officiating points by the end of Sunday at the latest in order to start preparing for the game the following week and clearly that hasn’t been the case.
Coaches and players will be debriefing on Sunday and Monday and then team selection is sorted and the game plan for the upcoming game is being worked on so it’s no use getting a response on Tuesday and then having some back and forth.
Joel Jutge, as World Rugby’s head of match officials, should be contactable and in the current climate when Nic Berry, Ben O’Keeffe and Mathieu Raynal are all in a bubble I’m not sure what they’re doing that means they can’t be clarifying things with coaches at that time.
The actual content of the video is hugely educational for fans, pundits and even players. If it had been done after the culmination of the series and with less implied criticism of Berry specifically, it would have been welcomed by everyone I think.
As it is, Erasmus is clearly very frustrated but is also attempting to gain a similar edge in the second Test to the one he feels Gatland got in the first Test. Who knows whether Gatland’s comments about Jonker meant the Lions got the rub of the green but Erasmus is adopting the same tactic this week, just using more modern means and in far more depth.
You live by the sword and die by the sword and we’ll only be able to judge whether it has been effective come Saturday night. South Africa’s director of rugby will either have egg on his face and look like he lost the plot or it might just look like an inspired move.
Nobody is talking about the players the day before a huge Test, Erasmus has taken everything on his own shoulders and is prepared to face whatever sanctions come his way.
We’ve seen it in football with Rafa Benitez doing a similar thing but just without the video and in a traditional press conference, to the embarrassment of Steven Gerrard apparently. Now it’s arrived in rugby and gone up a notch. It may not be right but it is entertaining.
The problem is that not many people will have had the time to sit through the full 62 minutes and he could have got the same points across using the same clips in about 15 minutes.
We all want to see characters in the game and we could all benefit from a bit of an education from Rassie. His timing and delivery may get him in trouble on this occasion but I enjoyed it, I just think he could do with a better editor!
Comments on RugbyPass
🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
29 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusades , you can keep going.
1 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
29 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
29 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood 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.
29 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.
9 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.
29 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?
11 Go to comments