Rassie Erasmus needs to show some political nous, writes SIMON BORCHARDT.
Rassie Erasmus had every right to be frustrated with the match officials after the Springboks’ narrow losses to Ireland in Dublin and France in Marseille. There were forward passes in the buildup to both of Ireland’s tries and France’s match-winning score appeared to be a double movement that could not be referred to the TMO because the communication system was down. Had those calls – and others that Erasmus highlighted on Twitter in the aftermath – gone the Boks’ way, they could have beaten the world’s top two-ranked teams and regained the No 1 ranking themselves.
I don’t think Erasmus should have received a two-match ban for his latest tweets, which he laughingly said were not to criticise match officials but educate South African rugby fans on what the Boks need to do better. Other coaches have said worse during press conferences and not been punished. Referees should not be a protected species and if their performances warrant criticism, they should be prepared to take it – just as players and coaches do when they don’t get it right.
However, I do wonder what Erasmus was hoping to achieve by his latest tweets so soon after his 10-month stadium and match-day ban had ended for that Nic Berry video.
Erasmus’ hour long-video, in which he questioned 26 decisions made by the match officials during the first Test between the Springboks and British & Irish Lions in 2021, and the lack of respect shown by referee Berry to Bok captain Siya Kolisi, had the desired effort. Kolisi was given the same treatment as Lions captain Alun Wyn Jones during the second and third Tests, and some big calls went the way of the Boks, who went on to win the series. For Erasmus, the end justified the means.
READ: Rassie’s tweets doing more harm than good – Mallett
Maybe SA’s director of rugby was hoping that his latest criticism of match officials would again benefit his team in the short term, or perhaps he has a big-picture, long-term goal as some have suggested, but all it achieved now was to underline the Springboks’ status as the least-liked team in world rugby, as Nick Mallett pointed out. It also may well have hardened referees’ attitudes towards the Boks and ensured those 50-50 calls continue to go against them.
Erasmus must be politically savvy to have thrived in South African rugby for so long. He should therefore understand the need for quiet diplomacy with World Rugby when requesting feedback from match officials, even if it has fallen on deaf ears in the past, and why he cannot criticise them on Twitter.
ALSO: Rassie puts refs on guard against Boks
Unfortunately, it’s too late for Rassie to simply say sorry. He has burned bridges with World Rugby referee boss Joël Jutge and referees like Wayne Barnes (who received death threats after the match in Marseille) that can never be repaired.
Erasmus’ only option now is to park his ego, take a backseat and let head coach Jacques Nienaber provide all match official feedback to World Rugby, while limiting his Twitter account to sharing videos of his latest dance moves and Frank the bulldog.
In short, Erasmus must be willing to play the political game off the field to ensure the Boks get the rub of the green on it. If he’s not, it may be better for him (and the team) to move on and preserve his legacy as a World Cup-winning coach while it’s still intact.
READ: Rassie making Boks ‘easy to dislike’ – Smit
Photo: Brendan Moran/Getty Images
