Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

Erasmus hearing reveals why Nic Berry apologised to Siya Kolisi

(Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

Referee Nic Berry sought out Springboks skipper Siya Kolisi at the second Lions Test last July to apologise over the player’s reported feelings of unfair treatment stemming from the previous week’s first Test. The infamous 62-minute Rassie Erasmus video critiquing the Australian’s refereeing performance in the opening game of the series twice alleged disrespect had been shown by Berry to the South African captain.

ADVERTISEMENT

“When Siya spoke to the referee and when Alun (Wyn Jones) spoke to the referee I just felt the reactions on how they treated both those players was totally, there was a vast difference between who he was taking serious and who he wasn’t taking serious. I might just play this for you and talk you through it,” claimed Erasmus in the video that pored over a multitude of clips from the match.  

The Springboks director added with regard to another contentious clip: “…It is almost like he is having a laugh at Siya and saying to him: Yeah, it was a knock-on, it is only a knock-on. He is actually laughing at Siya now.”

Video Spacer

Freddie Burns on whether the Springboks will target Maro Itoje and Marcus Smith

Freddie Burns | All Access
Freddie Burns joins Jim Hamilton as the pair look ahead to this weekend's mouth watering clash between England and South Africa at Twickenham.
Video Player is loading.
Current Time 0:00
Duration 22:29
Loaded: 0%
Stream Type LIVE
Remaining Time 22:29
 
1x
    • Chapters
    • descriptions off, selected
    • captions off, selected
    • en (Main), selected
    Video Spacer

    Freddie Burns on whether the Springboks will target Maro Itoje and Marcus Smith

    This alleged lack of respect became a hot topic at the eve-of-second-game media briefing attended by Kolisi where he was asked about his interactions with Berry during a match lost by the Springboks. “I didn’t feel respected at all, I didn’t feel a fair, I was given a fair opportunity. That’s the answer to the first question. And the second one is, yeah, I’m looking forward. It’s a new game, it’s a new referee, which I’m looking forward to. I think Ben will give a fair, a fair opportunity for both captains and that’s all I’ve always asked for.

    “I just say I just didn’t feel as, I didn’t get given the same access to the referee and there is proof. If you watch the game again you will definitely be able to see yourself. Yeah, I don’t want to speak too much about that because it has already happened, there is nothing I can do about it, it’s not going to change anything.”

    In the charge sheet contained in the 80-page written judgment following the hearing, it was noted that “Siya Kolisi is a deeply impressive individual who leads the Springboks team with distinction. We have no reason to doubt the genuineness of his feelings. However, that is not the same as asserting as a fact that he had been disrespected nor that those feelings are correct.”

    The judgment then added how Berry has reacted that second Test weekend following the allegation of disrespect towards Kolisi. “During his evidence, Nic Berry told us that he had ‘massive respect’ for Siya Kolisi as a person and as a player. 

    ADVERTISEMENT

    “So concerned was he by the reported feelings of unfair treatment that at the second Test he sought him out and apologised if he had done anything which created the contrary impression. We accept without reservation Nic Berry’s evidence that he, and his officiating team, did not intentionally disrespect Siya Kolisi.”

    The judicial committee ultimately decided that the alleged treatment of the Springbok captain by the match officials was not central to this case, but they had a final word on the matter in section 152 of the judgment.

    “If there be doubt, we remove it: we recognise the exceptional sensitivity of race in South Africa. We are sure that none of the match officials deliberately or consciously treated Siya Kolisi differently from any other player. Nothing they did was motivated by race. 

    “That Rassie Erasmus believed his captain was treated differently does not get close to justifying the content of his video. We also note that only two of the clips concerned that topic and there were a further four or so references to the Springbok players being disrespected.”

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Springboks director Erasmus was suspended from all rugby with immediate effect on Wednesday for a period of two months following his misconduct hearing regarding charges arising out of the Test series versus the British and Irish Lions earlier this year. 

    Erasmus was also banned from any involvement on a matchday until September 30 next year, while SA Rugby must pay a fine of £20,000. Both Erasmus and SA Rugby must also apologise for their actions, but both those parties have since stated they will be exercising their right to appeal.  

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Argentina v France | HSBC SVNS Hong Kong 2025 | Men's Match Highlights

    New Zealand v Australia | HSBC SVNS Hong Kong 2025 | Women's Match Highlights

    Tokyo Sungoliath vs Shizuoka BlueRevs | Japan Rugby League One 2024/25 | Full Match Replay

    Reds vs Force | Super Rugby W 2025 | Full Match Replay

    Behind the Scenes with the Australian Rugby Sevens Team in Hong Kong | HSBC SVNS Embedded | Episode 9

    The Rise of Kenya | The Report

    New Zealand in Hong Kong | Brady Rush | Sevens Wonders | Episode 4

    The Fixture: How This Rugby Rivalry Has Lasted 59 Years

    Trending on RugbyPass

    Comments

    2 Comments
    P
    Phil(ip) 1222 days ago

    World rugby is definitely not represented by ALL who play the game. As was noted earlier, it is an "OLD BOYS CLUB" run primarily by the people from the north. The southern rugby playing countries are accommodated due to their rugby strength. I would suggest that in order for World Rugby to develop into a "WORLD SPORT" like Soccer, every 5 years World Rugby's Head Office should move to a different country that plays the game. 7's is developing a lot faster than the 15 man game. Look at where they play. At the moment playing in Dubai. World cup soccer is to be played in a small country in the middle east. Grow rugby union into a "WORLD GAME" by introducing union to the world.

    i
    isaac 1228 days ago

    Berry seems like a slightly biased towards whites...I say this with a heavy heart...wat his reaction/body language in the fiji wales match...

    Join free and tell us what you really think!

    Sign up for free
    ADVERTISEMENT

    Latest Features

    Comments on RugbyPass

    S
    Stephen Richard 44 minutes ago
    Fin Smith: Northampton Saints face battle to keep England star

    Do you need help on how to recover lost or stolen crypto from a fake forex broker or investment platforms? Contact ghostchampionwizard[at]gmail,com for an outclass service. This team can help you recover your coins without being in a hurry for you to pay for the services and the work smart and genuinely i was involved in an online investment platforms where i invested over $399,541 via USDT and i was happy when i saw the profit imagined that i got in less than a month of investment i tried to withdraw the profit from my trading wallet but unluckily the request for $10,980 as withdrawal fee which i told them that i don't have money to pay for that within a second the log me out from accessing my platform which lead me to in search of a hacker for help me recover my funds, Recovering lost Bitcoin or Usdt can require unique hacking skills and expertise that are possessed by only a handful of professional hackers. While there are many recovery websites out there, it's important to be cautious as 99% of them are operated by scammers who try to appear legitimate. GHOST CHAMPION HACKING SERVICES Their team conducted a thorough investigation to trace the money and identify the perpetrators behind the Fake platform. They used advanced technology and cybersecurity expertise to track the stolen funds. They worked tirelessly to recover every cent that was taken from me. Their team kept me informed throughout the process and gave me regular updates on their progress. For those of you trying to get back your stolen money, WhatsApp : +44 7383450230 for inquiries.you can get in touch with GHOST CHAMPION HACKING SERVICES so they can help you.EMAIL ( ghostchampionwizard@gmail.com ) and TELEGRAM ID:https://t.me/WizardGhosthacker

    10 Go to comments
    S
    Stephen Richard 44 minutes ago
    Fin Smith: Northampton Saints face battle to keep England star

    Do you need help on how to recover lost or stolen crypto from a fake forex broker or investment platforms? Contact ghostchampionwizard[at]gmail,com for an outclass service. This team can help you recover your coins without being in a hurry for you to pay for the services and the work smart and genuinely i was involved in an online investment platforms where i invested over $399,541 via USDT and i was happy when i saw the profit imagined that i got in less than a month of investment i tried to withdraw the profit from my trading wallet but unluckily the request for $10,980 as withdrawal fee which i told them that i don't have money to pay for that within a second the log me out from accessing my platform which lead me to in search of a hacker for help me recover my funds, Recovering lost Bitcoin or Usdt can require unique hacking skills and expertise that are possessed by only a handful of professional hackers. While there are many recovery websites out there, it's important to be cautious as 99% of them are operated by scammers who try to appear legitimate. GHOST CHAMPION HACKING SERVICES Their team conducted a thorough investigation to trace the money and identify the perpetrators behind the Fake platform. They used advanced technology and cybersecurity expertise to track the stolen funds. They worked tirelessly to recover every cent that was taken from me. Their team kept me informed throughout the process and gave me regular updates on their progress. For those of you trying to get back your stolen money, WhatsApp : +44 7383450230 for inquiries.you can get in touch with GHOST CHAMPION HACKING SERVICES so they can help you.EMAIL ( ghostchampionwizard@gmail.com ) and TELEGRAM ID:https://t.me/WizardGhosthacker

    10 Go to comments
    J
    JW 45 minutes ago
    Razor has an about turn on All Blacks eligibility rules

    I’m not sure he needs much of an excuse, or an angle, to beat his drum. He seems to be giving Razor credit, or as a proxy of his own, for far too many of the ideas we come up with in his articles.


    He’s definitely wrong about Dmac too, yes. Pretty much everything he said, in either the words he used or the way he said, was off in that interview. Said Dmac was a “linebreaker” like what, hello, with his pass? The one question I thought they were close to getting right and actually being worthwhile, other than a few bits to Robinson on the running side, was when they asked about valuing experience and youth in his second year. Really missed the boat there as they got a mundane answer, needed to be more direct and ask how does the balance between selecting experience, the players that have class, and those players that in form change now that you’re into your second year. Would he flat out deny any change, or would there have been some honesty about how little it would be. He’d be proud enough to presume he was perfect last year so he’ll obviously been taking the same ‘perfect’ approach this year! One telling tid bit was when he made up some numbers about new caps going through a World Cup cycle, where he had 10 one year, 5 the next, a couple.. and stated that youve also got to be open to ‘bolters’ so you “don’t shut any doors”.. sounds like some pretty weak innovation incoming.

    25 Go to comments
    TRENDING
    TRENDING Multiple clubs swarming to lure Chris Harris from Gloucester Multiple clubs swarming to lure Chris Harris from Gloucester
    Search