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South Africa’s Rassie Erasmus has threatened to quit mid-series in officiating outburst following his side’s opening Test defeat to the British and Irish Lions.
The Springboks were beaten 22-17 by the Lions in the Test opener, and in an hour-long video uploaded to Vimeo, the Director of Rugby has attacked the officials who he believed made several mistakes that unfairly cost his side.
Erasmus, who has been part of the coaching staff since 2017, has threatened to quit mid-series if World Rugby choose to punish South African Rugby for his individual actions.
“If World Rugby think this was going over the top, and this shouldn’t be going out to the media, then I did this in my personal capacity, and not as part of the Springboks. If we’re going to get a fine, I will withdraw myself from the management team,” Erasmus said.
The 48-year-old revealed his side requested pre-match that only two members from each team were to be allowed to speak to referee Nic Berry on the field, as he believed the Lions are a side with many leaders compared to the Springboks’ two, their captain and vice-captain.
However, in an unbelievable post-match outburst, Erasmus not only accused the Australian referee of not taking South Africa seriously but also not showing Springboks captain Siya Kolisi the same level of respect Lions captain Alun Wyn Jones was shown.
“When Siya spoke to the referee and when Alun Wyn spoke to the referee, I just felt in the way they treated both players, there was a vast difference between who he was taking serious and who he wasn’t.
“I believe in fairness, the system and two teams having an equal chance of competing in a match and the respect the officials showed was comical.”
Immediately after his side’s defeat, Erasmus tweeted a congratulations tweet to the Lions on their “deserved win” which left the Springboks with “no excuses.” The South African later replied to a video that appeared to show all the mistakes the officials made which went against the hosts. He went onto say:
“This is rugby – sometimes calls go for you and other times they don’t.”
Respect your attitude in defeat, but there were some questionable calls. I’ll highlight a few @Springboks @lionsofficial https://t.co/aU4GgNiQ0n pic.twitter.com/2dHaomajye
— Jaco Johan (@thenosyone987) July 25, 2021
Over the course of the week, Erasmus’ reaction to the defeat has escalated, with the height of his frustrations being expressed in his shocking attack on the officials. World Rugby, who are expected to charge Erasmus, have issued a statement saying it “notes the comments made by Rassie Erasmus” and that no further comments will be made at this time.
Rugby Australia this morning have deemed Erasmus’ video to be “unacceptable” and that his actions go “against the spirit and values of the game.”
The referee from the first match, Nic Berry, is one of the assistants for the second Test match on Saturday alongside Frenchman Mathieu Raynal. New Zealander Ben O’Keefe will referee the match, whilst South Africa’s Marius Jonker will once again be TMO.
The World Champions have made three changes to their starting lineup for the second Test. Steven Kitshoff, who will earn his 50th Test cap, and Frans Malherbe, join hooker Bongi Mbonambi in the front row. The only other change for the Springboks sees Leicester Tigers’ Jasper Wiese start ahead of Kwagga Smith at the number eight position.
For the Lions, Warren Gatland has also named three changes to the side that produced an excellent second-half comeback to claim victory in the Test opener. Ireland’s Conor Murray returns at scrum-half ahead of Scotland’s Ali Price, whilst Mako Vunipola and Chris Harris replace Ken Owens and Elliot Daly respectively.
South African born Duhan van der Merwe retains his place on the wing ahead of Welsh duo Louis Rees-Zammit and Josh Adams, who are yet to be included in a Test matchday squad. Adams, who has the most Lions tries so far this tour, missed the Test opener after having an “emotional week” following the birth of his first child.
Wales’ Taulupe Faletau, who started all three Test matches against New Zealand in the 2017 tour, has been included amongst the substitutes in place of the impressive Hamish Watson.
Victory for the Lions in the Cape Town Stadium on Saturday evening would confirm a famous series win against the reigning World Champions. It would also be a first against South Africa since 1997, a tour in which the tourists went 2-0 up before losing the final match.
Alun Wyn Jones could become the first Lions captain in 94 years to lead the tourists to wins in every Test match. Scotsman David MacMyn was the last Lions skipper to do so when he guided the team to four wins in the 1927 tour of Argentina.
Gatland himself will be hoping to continue his successful Test record as Lions head coach. The 57-year-old led the Lions to a 2-1 victory over Australia in 2013 before he coached the tourists to a historic Test draw against New Zealand four years later, and now he will be aiming to add a South Africa Test win to the list.
After losing their first match in seven games, the Springboks will be aiming to avoid successive Test defeats for the first time since 2018. South Africa have only twice lost the opening two games of a Test series against the Lions since the beginning of the 20th century, 1974 and 1997.
With all the controversy following the Test opener, the stakes surrounding Saturday’s match could not be higher with the most important fact being: if the Lions win, they claim the series. However, after Erasmus’ abrupt actions, a closer eye will now be cast on the officiating in Cape Town and on World Rugby to see how they deal with the Springboks Director of Rugby.
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