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Rassie Erasmus has let us all down
Rassie Erasmus has told us often and loudly that the Springboks represent the best of South Africa. He’s right. They are proof of what is possible when greedy and corrupt politicians are excluded from a truly authentic nation building project. Their triumphs are a consequence of the hard work of a meritocracy that chooses to recognise the colour of a man’s skin but does not judge him for it.
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Which is why a series of incendiary and divisive tweets have let us all down. Rassie, if you’re reading this, you really should have known better.
On Thursday 19 October, a RugbyPass journalist made a pithy comment on Twitter (now X) suggesting that the Springboks are actually a northern hemisphere team in disguise. He pointed out that South African domestic franchises compete in European competitions and that many of their players play for European or Japanese clubs. It was clearly bait dangled by a writer who has a history of riling Boks supporters. But I don’t imagine even he thought he’d nab such a big fish as a director of rugby.
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Erasmus responded by saying, “At least we all South Africa”, accompanied by a meme of a grazing sheep. He then thrice referred to the male journalist as “her” before blocking him publicly. Erasmus later apologised for the misgendering, citing a “typo”, though the tweet has not been deleted.
Where to start? Let’s begin with a couple of caveats. Erasmus is a national treasure. I’m certain that if he ran for higher office, say, the mayor of a major city in South Africa, he’d sweep to victory. He’d certainly do a decent job at fixing one of the country’s failing parastatals. Perhaps he can start with the Post Office and work his way up?
He is also a living embodiment of the rainbowism ideal espoused by Nelson Mandela in the early days of democracy in the mid-1990s. It’s hard to think of a single person who has done more than Erasmus to cultivate true racial transformation in the sport. The Springboks, once synonymous with the racist ideology of the apartheid regime, is now a beacon for multicultural excellence.
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But his position, as a World Cup winning coach and the face of the one national team that regularly triumphs on a global stage, means he also carries a great responsibility. He’s not just a rugby practitioner. He is a statesman and an ambassador for our country. What he says matters.
For those unaware, South Africa has some of the highest rape statistics on the planet with Interpol naming it the “rape capital of the world”. This is just one aspect of an epidemic that has seen gender based violence run rampant across race and class. In every facet of society, women and girls live in daily fear for their safety.
I’m sure Erasmus was not intentionally dog whistling to a misogynistic fanbase, but that does not mean his calls weren’t heard. Using ‘her’ as a slur is primary-school banter at best and dangerous at worst. It denigrates half the population and amplifies an unchecked toxicity. Call me a snowflake if you like, but read the replies from female rugby fans and ask yourself if Erasmus’ sexism – intentional or otherwise – isn’t damaging.
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But this was just one of Erasmus’ transgressions. The other came in the form of thinly veiled xenophobia when he responded to the original tweet by referencing the homogeneity of his team. One might view this as a proud coach championing the homegrown talent at his disposal, but a deeper understanding of the context leaves a sour taste in the mouth.
The journalist who started this all is a New Zealander. The All Blacks have long been criticised for pilfering talent from the island nations around it. There’s no doubt they’ve benefited from the influx of Samoans, Tongans and Fijians who have either made New Zealand their home, or were born to parents from elsewhere in the Pacific.
Fans of opposition teams have used this as a stick to beat the most successful side in rugby’s history: “Ah, yes, you might have three World Cups and hold every record in the book, but you’d have nothing if you couldn’t import all those stars.”
It’s one thing for a chest thumping supporter to spout this nonsense over pints. But for a director of rugby to do so is both alarming and distressing.
Forgetting the fact that Erasmus won a World Cup with a Zimbabwean – Tendai ‘Beast’ Mtawarira – playing a starring role in the front row, or that the Springboks were previously captained by another Zimbabwean – Bobby Skinstad – the Boks’ director of rugby ought to have a better grasp of the country’s recent history.
Months before the successful World Cup campaign in 2019, 12 foreign nationals were killed in xenophobic riots in South Africa. More than 50 businesses were destroyed or damaged. A mosque was attacked and a mall looted. Families were driven out of their homes. Once again, Erasmus should have known better. This sort of rhetoric appeals to the worst of our society.
And really, he has no excuse. Siya Kolisi and Makazole Mapimpi are just two Springboks who have used their platform to call on South African men to be better, to combat the scourge of gender based violence and speak up if they see their friends or family members acting in a hostile manner towards women. The entire squad has united behind a shared sense of mission that disregards colour or creed.
We hold them to a higher standard because they have asked us to do so. The mythology of the Springboks is fuelled by the love of the supporters but it is also self-perpetuating. They are writers of their own press and directors of their own documentaries. The narrative only holds if it remains consistent.
There is a theory that Erasmus is playing mind games. That he knows exactly what he’s doing and is deflecting attention away from his team as they gear up for a semi-final showdown against England. I don’t buy that.
There are a thousand other ways to achieve this without resorting to inflammatory jibes. There are many fans who have taken issue with Erasmus but there are others who have doubled down on the jingoism. I’m appealing to those fans now to hold our leaders, even the best of them, to account when they transgress.
When millions of Americans protested against their country’s war in Vietnam, counter-protestors rallied behind the mantra of, “Our country, right or wrong.”. This blind loyalty polarised the nation and has led to the stark divide that exists today. That same blind loyalty has seen the ANC retain power in the country despite its litany of failures.
The Springboks are supposed to be better than all that. Its players should be better. Its coaches should be better. And so should the fans.
Wow!...amazing negative comments from a so called Rugby scribe!...and even then he's so bad and irrelevant Lift your game "Rugbypass" otherwise you'll be left with those only wanting to voice "vendetta" opinions!
Come on AB's aka the Pacific Lions
If the Black Ferns can do it so can you, pick local.
All the new millions the AB's (Pacific Lions) have announced - well pick and train your own players, no more Pacific Island poaching.
The 2023 AB's (Pacific Lions) squad 9/33
The Black Ferns squad 2/33
The 2023 AB's (Pacific Lions) squad 9/33 (could have been 10/33 if Sevu Reece had not been injured).
1. Samisoni Frank Simpson Taukei'aho - Tongatapu, Tonga
2. Nepo Eti Laulala - Moto'otua, Samoa
3. Tyrel Shae Lomax - Canberra, Australia
4. Aniseto Ofa He Moori Tuʻungafasi - Nukuʻalofa, Tonga
5. Leicester Ofa Ki Wales Twickenham Fainga'anuku - Nukuʻalofa, Tonga
6. Emoni Narawa - Suva, Fiji
7. Finlay Turner Christie - Peebles, Scotland
8. Shannon Michael Frizell - Folaha, Tonga
9. Samisoni Frank Simpson Taukei'aho - Tongatapu, Tonga
The Black Ferns squad 2/33
Tanya Kalounivale -Fijian
Amy du Plessis - South African
This age old chestnut again?
Firstly I'd like to commend you on your geography skills, placing Findlay Christie's Scotland in the Pacific for the sake of your “stats”. Sad as I am to say it on this howler of a day in December on the West coast of Scotland, hélas, it is anything but in the Pacific.
Almost everyone on your list came to New Zealand as a child and learned their rugby there from an early age, often before college. Not one of them was “poached” from island rugby/life and all of them were trained to be elite players after arriving on NZ soil.
Citing the children of economic migrants or talented teenagers coming over to study at good schools in New Zealand in the hope of getting a better education and opportunities for themselves and the next generations as though they are in some way ineligible to represent the ABs is simply naïve (and borderline racist) and demonstrates more of a lack of understanding on your part of the demographics and dynamics of an ever changing world than any reliance NZ might have on overseas talent.
In short, if you were British you would have voted for Brexit.
Indeed the RWC Champs live in exile a large part of the year and the same applies to top SA players in all sports the best of our actors and opera singers, as well as those from other 3rd World countries.
10 July 2004
New Zealand 41–26 Pacific Islanders
Try: Rokocoko (2)
Marshall
Gear
Meeuws
Umaga
Con: Carter (4)
Pen: Carter Try: Sivivatu (2)
Rabeni
Lauaki
Con: Bai (3)
North Harbour Stadium, Albany
Attendance: 22,000
Referee: Stuart Dickinson (Australia)
New Zealand: 15. Mils Muliaina, 14. Rico Gear, 13. Tana Umaga (capt.), 12. Dan Carter, 11. Joe Rokocoko, 10. Carlos Spencer, 9. Justin Marshall, 8. Xavier Rush, 7. Marty Holah, 6. Jono Gibbes, 5. Keith Robinson, 4. Chris Jack, 3. Carl Hayman, 2. Keven Mealamu, 1. Kees Meeuws – Replacements: 18. Jerry Collins, 20. Byron Kelleher, 21. Nick Evans – Unused: 16. Andrew Hore, 17. Greg Somerville, 19. Mose Tuiali'i, 22. Sam Tuitupou
Pacific Islanders: 15. Seru Rabeni, 14. Lome Fa'atau, 13. Brian Lima, 12. Seremaia Baikeinuku, 11. Sitiveni Sivivatu, 10. Tanner Vili, 9. Moses Rauluni, 8. Sisa Koyamaibole, 7. Alifereti Doviverata, 6. Sione Lauaki, 5. Ifereimi Rawaqa, 4. Inoke Afeaki (c), 3. Taufaʻao Filise, 2. Aleki Lutui, 1. Soane Tongaʻuiha - Replacements: 17. Tevita Taumoepeau, 18. Filipo Levi, 19. Semo Sititi, 19. Semo Sititi, 21. Tane Tuʻipulotu, 22. Sireli Bobo – Unused: 16. Joeli Lotawa, 20. Steven So'oialo
The AB’s aka the Pacific Lions. 50+ players 200+ tests.
Sivivatu, Sitiveni Waica and Lauaki, Sione Tuitupu actually played for the "Pacific Islanders rugby union team" before been poached.
Current 2023 RWC squad.
1. Samisoni Frank Simpson Taukei'aho - Tongatapu, Tonga
2. Nepo Eti Laulala - Moto'otua, Samoa
3. Tyrel Shae Lomax - Canberra, Australia
4. Aniseto Ofa He Moori Tuʻungafasi - Nukuʻalofa, Tonga
5. Leicester Ofa Ki Wales Twickenham Fainga'anuku - Nukuʻalofa, Tonga
6. Emoni Narawa - Suva, Fiji
7. Finlay Turner Christie - Peebles, Scotland
8. Shannon Michael Frizell - Folaha, Tonga
9. Samisoni Frank Simpson Taukei'aho - Tongatapu, Tonga
More recent others
10. Pita Gus Nacagilevu Sowakula - Lautoka, Fiji
11. Samipeni Finau -Tonga
12. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck - Apia, Samoa
13. Folau Fakatava - Nukuʻalofa, Tonga
14. Sevuloni Lasei Reece - Nadi, Fiji
15. Vaea Tangitau Lapota Fifita - Vavaʻu, Tonga
Others Professional Era
16. Apia, Samoa Anesi, Sosene Raymond
17. Apia, Samoa Brown, Olo Max
18. Apia, Samoa Clarke, Eroni
19. Apia, Samoa Collins, Jerry
20. Apia, Samoa Ieremia, Alama
21. Apia, Samoa Schuster, Nesetorio Jonny
22. Apia, Samoa Schwalger, John Evan
23. Falesiu, Samoa Tuigamala, Va'aiga Lealuga
24. Moto'otua, Samoa Laulala, Casey Daniel Eti
25. Moto'otua, Samoa So'oialo, Rodney
26. Moto'otua, Samoa Toeava, Isaia
27. Pago Pago, American Samoa Solomon, Frank
28. Salelesi, Samoa Muliaina, Junior Malili
29. Savai'i, Samoa Masoe, Matemini Christopher
30. Tutuila, American Samoa Kaino, Jerome
31. Ha'apai, Tonga Fekitoa, Malakai Fonokalafi
32. Ha'apai, Tonga Lauaki, Sione Tuitupu
33. Ha'apai, Tonga Taumoepeau, Saimone
34. Longoteme, Tonga Maka, Isitolo
35. Nuku'alofa, Tonga Alatini, Pita Faiva-ki-moana
36. Nuku'alofa, Tonga Riechelmann, Charles Calvin
37. Nuku'alofa, Tonga Vanisi, Osaiasi Kupu
38. Tonga, Tonga Batty, Walter
39. Tonga, Tonga Halai, Frank
40. Lautoka, Fiji Fraser, Bernard Gabriel
41. Lautoka, Fiji Jennings, Arthur Grahn
42. Levuka, Fiji Solomon, David
43. Nadi, Fiji Rokocoko, Josevata Taliga
44. Nausori Highlands, Fiji Matson, John Tabaiwalu Fakavale
45. Nausori Highlands, Fiji Vidiri, Joeli
46. Suva, Fiji Sivivatu, Sitiveni Waica
47. Suva, Fiji Williams, Ronald Oscar
Wow RugbyPass up your game!…this is ridiculous criticism of a coach that has a record of pulling the chain rightly or wrongly but is undeniably the biggest factor to Springbok success…read the room or you’ll all end up like Ben Smith!
Is he the biggest factor? He certainly likes the limelight, but South Africa having the best scrum, biggest team, some of the best players in the world, world class head coach in Nienaber are probably bigger contributors. Erasmus behaves like a buffoon and it’s excused because people think he’s very good at his job. There’s no denying that his ‘banter’ would be likened to any other dolt on the Internet, if his team didn’t win the World Cup.
What an idiot. Bringing Race & politics into the game to bash the coach. Except the fact you lost the final fair and square. Get over it.
Soap box alert! How can I use the Springboks moment in the sun for self-promotion.
take it as banter, no more!
“a RugbyPass journalist made a pithy comment on Twitter…”
Let's not get carried away. Ben Smith is not a journalist and he should just be grateful that he has managed to get something he wrote read by more people than have ever read beyond the click-bait provocative headline of one of his articles.
How does this get turned into a rant about misogynists? The reality is that rugby pass is owned by world rugby and has been sending out anti south african team comments throughout this world cup. There should be an investigation into the clear bias shown by this media arm of world rugby. Perhaps Bill should be looking elsewhere as I think his time is up. As far as mentioning rape statistics etc, that statement is inflammatory to people from South Africa as I don’t understand why thjs becomes about politics. There has been a lot of hate of the Springboks in the English press, leading up to the semi-final. This has only been exacerbated by an article like this in my view the press aren't bastions of the sport or have the right to attack players or coaches. Perhaps world rugby need to look into their own affairs first before promoting bad feelings for the boks. Also Curry, i’ve lost a lot of respect for you. I bet a lot has been said to Bongo too. But one thing I do know, as a South African, is that then c word isn't used in SA. We have a more colourful version in afrikaans and also many in xhosa or zulu, and so there is no way he would have used that. In fact I can’t ever remember hearing that word back home. When I travel in the UK and Australia though, I hear it a lot. So think Curry is just too dumb to actually understand what was said. Thankfully the media will latch on to it and as always blow it out of proportion, because after all we need a villain, and South Africa is that villain because of certain politics back home.
Your a snowflake - freedom to speak is more important than pandering to wokism trannys and minority liberal retard shite heads who think men can have babies Yahushua is our template Never did He not say how it is or how it should be.
Drivel not worth reading
Well anyway, china, you've managed to earn your pay (by the word?) for this week. I think the score above shows what most of us think of you and your drivel. Really disgraceful and makes you a traitor to both sexes (oops, sorry, all sexes before you try to impale me, too) as well as South Africa. And as for the idiots stirring things up from outside, gaan bars julle klomp moerskonte!
How much more must the rugby public and public in general have to put with these journalists who are determined to bad mouth anything South African. You must all be like Ben Smith, Matt Williams and others whose mothers kept you from children who were Rough You long to be like them, bit of manly hood, but are just not able to. Maybe a bit of the golden spoon syndrome. Makes me think of the French writers such as Voltaire, Roussouw, etc and we all know what happened to them
The most inane, irrelevant, sensation-seeking, virtue-signaling garbage I've ever read. By the most inappropriate excuse-for-a-journalist that’s ever written about rugby. You’d be far better off reporting on the next LGBTQ flower arranging convention.
Stay the hell away from the Springboks.
Made an account just to comment here, seems there are a lot of wet blankets out there who like to dish out banter but cannot take it. Suggest the author take a teaspoon of cement and harden up, everyone should know by now if you try and step up to the Boks you are going to get it back big time. If you can’t handle that, this sport is not for you…
Hey, JJ, I hope you get this msg. If you wanna fck a bit more with Naainul, paste his msg into an AI generator and tell the AI to write a response (suitable, insutling, scathing, dismissive, whatever floats your boat) and post that in reply. You may have to try different AI’s because some are too polite 🤣
Happy New Year!
“Ah, yes, you might have three World Cups and hold every record in the book, but you’d have nothing if you couldn’t import all those stars.”
It’s one thing for a chest thumping supporter to spout this nonsense over pints. But for a director of rugby to do so is both alarming and distressing. I am taking this quote directly from DG’s article above. I would just like to point out to this esteemed chronicler of note that Eddie Jones on international TV was asked why he thought New Zealand was so consistently good, and he replied: “They’ve got the three best rugby academies in the world mate, Samoa, Fiji and Tonga.” So Daniel, was that just as abhorrent as what Rassie said? Or are you, this unimpeachably unbiased journalist so outraged by - you say it better than I could : “There are many fans who have taken issue with Erasmus but there are others who have doubled down on the jingoism. I’m appealing to those fans now to hold our leaders, even the best of them, to account when they transgress.” So Daniel are you going to apply the same yardstick to yourself. I am holding you to account for blatant bias against Erasmus on the issue highlighted by Eddie Jones and many other leaders in rugby think tanks.
I seem to be a lone dissenting voice on here, but I fully agree with you Dan. Rassie has done wonders for SA, but he also does things that frankly I have a hard time with, and this is one of them. We should call it out.
South Africa is most definitely not a Northern Hemisphere team for one simple reason, we can scrum! I am loving the way in which NH pundits want to change the aspects of rugby that the SH dominates in. This World Cup deserved nothing else than the two greatest teams of all time battling it out for the William Web Ellis
I agree.. 4 hours to go.. Hoping for a cracker game from both sides… hope the ref stays out of it… and the best side wins…
Last I checked, South Africa is located at the tip of Africa, in the southern hemisphere…
What makes you think a “Him” would have been a correct pronoun. . . because the last time I check the Alphabet Letter community have over 1000 pronouns. . . .yeah, indeed you are a snowflake.
I’m only on Rugbypass for the comments. Many articles are pure clickbait- but the CS can be rather entertaining. (And on the topic of Ben Smith: Don’t forget who makes up a large percentage of his target audience; he makes a living getting Springbok fans enraged.)
What a disgustingly unprofessional and clearly bitterly written article about South Africa and our rugby. Honestly just signed up to comment on this too but will be deleting rugbypass feeds to if this is the kind of slandering nonsense they like to produce. Yes all our players are South African and proud of it as we are proud of them. Nothing your foul mouth has to say will change that.
Oh dear. Another so-called “journalist” showing their ignorance and arrant stupidity with a thinly disguised hit-piece against anything SA.
In reply, let me misquote The Cranberries:
“He's in your head, in your head. Rassie. Rassie…Rassie.”
Not to mention the fact that the are over 500 pronouns….lol…they, them, etc…. So what makes him think that the pronoun, “him” would have been a right pronoun to use…
OK thanks Captain Cancel Culture.
You have the golden opportunity to write about South African rugby right now, and this is the crap you put out?
Rather Go try your hand at E! News.
Ah man. I’m so embarrassed. I read this article, and could not resist the temptation to respond to this really poor article. So I created an account to just to give my useless opinion.
At Dan, you clearly created an article title to make people read it. Rassie let “us” down. You let “us” down.
I’m going to block rugby pass feed off my phone because of article to just create click bait. I think you went a touch to far.
I hope more people reading this will block the feed.
Serious note- NZ RSA is going to be a great game.
At Dan here’s an article worth exploring,I was thinking, maybe there is something in the fact that the 6 Nations format that does not create “knockout” presume? Not saying 4 nations is knock out but it does kinda have that feel. You lose your home game, or not able to win away once you don’t have a chance. Just a thought I was pondering lately.
And yet you start by pointing out that Ben Smith is infamous for his trolling of the Bok team, the style of the game they play and their lack of ‘skill.’ And then you go about raising all the historical and racial issues that the Bok team are trying to bridge by claiming that Rassie is a misogynist? At least you stopped short of calling him a racist, I guess. Rassie, Jacques and the Bok team have given more hope, more dignity, more honor to being a South African (of all hues and backgrounds) than you ever will. Hmm, someone is still living in the past it seems.
Unnecessary analysis and analogies about what is in effect sports issues….
Rassie for president
what a load of rubbish.
click bait.
Getc another job. Journalist you are not
Daniel Gallan has embarrassed himself and South Africans with this article, you shouldn’t be allowed back into the country you pathetic little clickbait hungry worm. How dare you make accusations like this - you know as well as anyone that what he meant by “at least we all from here” is reference to the fact that ONLY SA and Argentina have teams that are born and bred in their own country. It is Test rugby, its supposed to test the talent of YOUR OWN country…World Rugby seriously needs to clamp down on countries abusing the rules because its becoming farcical. Look at Ireland…nearly a quarter of their starting team speak foreign accents…they're not Irishmen.
The Beast wasnt South African and nor was Skinstad, but yes, on the whole, SA generally have more of their own countrymen playing for them than most other countries along with Argentina.
the Waterboy is the biggest knob in rugby bar none. Shut your piehole already.
You’re right up there mate, make mistake.
But you’re a loser from a loser nation, who can't win wars, or sports they invented, so we can almost forgive you.
You sound like the biggest knob of all you knob…shut your piehole and that other hole too
It is alleged that Jamie Wall runs Ben SmithRugby under a psuedonym.
‘A rugby journalist who only has 1 photo, never appears on TV, no podcasts, no YouTube channel, never been seen at a game, never does touchline reports. Fake account, not a real person. Evidence is there.”
Account is used to troll South African rugby fans, which is terrible form given that RugbyPass is a WorldRugby organisation.
It’s in a similar tone to the account set-up by Kevin Pietersens team mates when he played for England.
We South Africans probably take ourselves a little to seriously and English not being our 1st language means sarcasm is often misunderstood.
I blocked the account, at my age I don’t have energy for trolls.
It is interesting though, caus if you read the articles on rugbypass and some of the things he raises are valid for example – How an argument could be made that neither New Zealand or South Africa have been the best team through the cycle and France or Ireland would be more worthy of the world champion mantle. But the tone of the articles are designed to irritate South Africans. (His tagline is “undefeated by SA Rugby Twitter.)
I not there is another youngman pushing a similar line on TikTok – KieranRhysThomas, although he uses his actual account not a burner and does not work for World Rugby. Obviously people have realised there is money to be made doing this
If the above is true, this whole article is unethical and should come with a huge disclaimer given the supposed journalist is a a Rugby Pass Editor
Mate Take you woke shit and Shuff up your ass. This is a hit piece and a personal attack on one of South Africa’s greatest legends. Just shows you the hatred runs deep. Jealousy makes you nasty and its on full display here
1. We in South Africa is not into woke ideology, we don’t not care about woke idiots either.
2. We not going to do the punting of woke idiots like yourself and corporations.
3. Rugby’s goal in South Africa is to unite our country and is not an activist group.
4. Every player in our team is home grown, yes in the past there where some players……but guess where they got developed…..in South Africa.
5.Rassie is not there to please you or anyone else but South African’s, so no one gives a dam if Rassie let you down. He’s not any other nations coach. He is South African, we extremely proud of him and there is fuckall you can do about it except writing hit pieces of a political nature. I got news for you mate. This is rugby a sport, not a election of a political part.
WE WANT NONE OF THIS WOKE BS IN OUR SPORT!!!!!!
Last but not least as a South African you should be ashamed of yourself. In my eyes you a fucking traitor
So fuck off and crawl back into the hole you came from.
It's not woke it's just a journo cat fight over sfa. Easy with the shouty freak show caps dude
Well said
The writer is an (expat) living in London. The etymology of expat being ‘out of’ and ‘fatherland’. I sincerely urge Rugby Pass to get writers (especially those representing the so called South African perspective), to actually be in the country that they are writing about… otherwise it risks being out of touch/remote opinions from London ivory towers.
This article is terrible. Love u Rassie 🇿🇦❤️
This post is simple low-level and contaminated by the typical frustration of a clique northwest-europeans about the fact that they have been lagging behind for decades. Also Rugbypass need some fresh blood to resurrect.
Face it Gallan, South Africa does not want its rugby journos to be principled. Just go to the dark side, fuck them up verbally.
I’d go as far to say this is worse than a Ben Smith article and that’s saying a lot.
Woke journalism .. you hurt my feelings 🤏😂💪
Also can we talk about how useless this rugbypass thing is honestly. Weren't we supposed to watch the games here, it was marketed as everyone will have access to the world cup… 👀. There's no additional perks that this thing adds to the viewing of the RWC or rugby in general
“We hold them to a higher standard because they have asked us to do so” Who did? Dan is probably dealing with RWC pressure poorly. Rassie is being Rassie. Stop gaslighting
This is a very unnecessary article. South Africa has 12 official languages, with English not being the first language for many. It is very common to use the wrong gender in SA when speaking a language that is not yours. Rassie does this often in other interviews. It’s not an insult and no South African would link this to GBV. Also many people have spoken about how a lot of the national teams have a mixture of nationalities, with others making the argument that many were nationalised after they had some level of success in Rugby and were scouted specifically for that reason. Same argument has been made in other national sports team. Y'all need to use your time more productively.
You must be kidding me. So a Kiwi has a (by Kiwi standards) bit of a pop and Rugby Pass are having a moan about the comeback?
I mean. Come on. It's not like the Journo woke in the night thinking ‘ I must push forward Trans rights’ . I mean come on.
Attacking a book coach on the day of a semi final.
Now that’s a bit gutter bro. Init? Innit?
A fair minded man could look at the boks and see for themselves the positive thats come from Rassie's handing the captaincy to Siya Kollisi .
And btw. Time he got an apology for his lions tour tape. It was an accurate and necessary lifting the veil on just how much a set of refs can miss in a matcch and a peak at grim Lions strategy under that dam fake Welshman Gats…
AGREE. WHAT A DOUCHE. I THINK DAN IS SOUTH AFRICAN ASWEL🤣
Cogent, coherent, heart felt and well balanced piece of writing with very good socio political nuances. I applaud you and only hope that you are not bothered by the illiterate mumblers that no doubt will sadly try to put finger to keyboard but will end up only showing off intellectual slippage…
Did you swoon?
What a load utter crap.. World Rugby you are the worst governing body in sporting history. Run by a bunch of the most backward thinking A-holes. How much did you guys pay this journalist? If he wrote this free.. jeez do you guys have a problem. My 5 year old son produces better written work.
The journo’s 15 minutes of fame. No one reads this website. Most articles on RP won’t have more than a few 100 hits. They are really bad journalists and the articles are dreadful. The font makes them unreadable. I don’t read them. I look for click bait titles and scroll straight to the comments where all the action is.
What’s the issue pussy boys? NZ rugby has long shamelessly plundered Islander talent. Should rather call themselves “South Pacific Barbarians XV". Would be far more accurate.
The frustration of not getting it is real for this one. Check out where the ABs talent you racially refer to learnt their school boy rugby.
https://www.rugbypass.com/news/rassie-erasmus-has-let-us-all-down/?ht-comment-id=12303761
Ooo the frustration runs deep with this one… it's called International rugby dear. You might like to actually check where the players do their school boy rugby X Best of luck in 2036
What’s the words in that song the Irish fans were singing? Oh yeah. “In your head, in your headZombie, zombie, zombie-ie-ieWhat's in your head, in your head?Zombie, zombie, zombie-ie-ie-ie, oh…”
South Africa are certainly contenders for being rugby world champion internet dicks. Though it must be said, the competition is strong.
we certainly are, and we will wear that badge with pride, just to piss everyone off, you know why because we don’t give a dam about your feeling’s snowflake.
18 hours after this story broke on Rugbypants - not a peep anywhere (from what I can tell) about this incident/s on mainstream anything.
This article is thus certified as “A Grade clutching at straws”. “Certified clickbait”. “Just plain shit”.
Can we flag kak articles and have them removed?
I agree that Rassie was wrong in using gender in a derogatory way. And I think that if you asked him, he’d apologize—if he has not already done so. But for a writer who works for an organisation that employs Ben Smith to go so far overboard on claims of xenophobia, etc…!?!? WOW! Go back and read some of Ben’s articles. And while you’re doing that, remember that he is a professional writer. His job is to use words in public to convey specific ideas. I’d give him a break if he made a mistake on a rugby field, but what he does in writing is deliberate, mendacious and, yes, verging on xenophobic, in its own way. I hope that when you recover from your bout of moral panic, you find the energy to ensure that Ben is properly censured. Or perhaps write an article on this site explaining just how much of a reprehensible human being he is. Come on. Just to be fair.
Crikey, this has got the Boks fans all wound up. Comments are a great read, I had no idea you were such a sensitive bunch.
Yes when it comes to our own we are……and proud of it