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Rassie's narrative arc is turning us off

South Africa director of rugby Rassie Erasmus before the Bank of Ireland Nations Series match between Ireland and South Africa at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. (Photo By Brendan Moran/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

Twitter is a hellscape as far as public discourse is concerned. But it has also been a thermometer for gauging public sentiment. Last week the temperature emanating from Springboks fans towards Rassie Erasmus became rather frosty.

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South Africa’s director of rugby, who has over 107 thousand followers on Twitter but follows no one, tweeted the day after the Springboks’ 19-16 loss to Ireland in Dublin:

“Tough test match, thanks for all the support from, also thanks to the Ireland supporters at the Aviva, you definetly [sic] understand the game and it’s great to play in an atmosphere like yesterday! Surely was a game of big battles, but small margins.”

No harm, right? But the accompanying video of Ireland’s second try, scored by Mack Hansen in the left corner, suggested that Erasmus wasn’t playing nice.

Just after the ball was turned over on the opposite touchline, there is the hint of a possible forward pass. OK, let’s be frank. Andrew Porter certainly shifted the ball forward to Finlay Bealham who then shovelled it on to ignite a slick move.

Erasmus watched the try in real-time from the coach’s box at the Aviva Stadium. It was his first game back after serving a ban for releasing an hour-long video criticising referee Nic Berry during the British and Irish Lions tour last year.

An equivalent would be a bank robber holding up an off-licence the day after he’s released from prison.

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Erasmus has earned his cult following. His disciples have cast him as a messianic figure who boldly stands up to the real bullies of the global game. In their minds South Africa has been stepped on and sidelined by the elites in Europe and the snobs in Australasia and it’s high time someone fought back.

Just this week French financial prosecutors raided the headquarters of the 2023 World Cup organising committee, suggesting that France’s successful bid was marred by “favouritism, influence peddling [and] corruption”. This will only entrench the conspiracy that the world is indeed against the Springboks given South Africa was betrayed in their campaign to host the tournament for the first time since 1995.

Be that as it may, Erasmus’ antics still smack of a man who can’t read the room. Whatever your views on a referee’s performance or the social importance of a Lions series, Erasmus’s sanction and fine – SA Rugby was forced to pay £20,000 – was deserving. This latest jab might not be as scandalous as his previous misdemeanor, but it enhances the perception that Erasmus considers himself above the law.

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Moreover, this whinging on social media is incongruous with the message that Erasmus has espoused for four years. “Let’s fuck them up physically” seems to be the mantra that underlines his entire rugby ethos. He might be a brandy and coke-swilling, barefoot dancing, flag waving eccentric, but first and foremost he presents as an alpha of the game, leading a pack of alphas that can stampede over all opponents by virtue of their might and muscle.

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This perpetual referee bashing can only be interpreted as weakness and insecurity. This isn’t the behaviour of a conqueror but of someone desperate for a scapegoat. South Africa didn’t lose the first Test to the Lions last year because of the referee. Same as they didn’t lose to Ireland because of the referee. Any suggestion that they did is a betrayal of the senses.

It was only three years ago that Erasmus was one of rugby’s most beloved figures. His decision to select Siya Kolisi as captain in 2018 was inspired and still resonates beyond the pitch. His transformation of the Springboks from chumps to champs in 18 months will go down as one of the greatest rebuilds in the sport’s history.

The sight of him sobbing on the Chasing the Sun documentary as he recounted the struggles of Makazole Mapimpi was deeply moving. It was impossible not to watch this burly man weep and keep your own eyes dry. Erasmus had morphed into the uncle you wished you had. Forget picking his brain to better understand his philosophies. All I wanted to do was give him a big hug.

Then the pandemic bit and the Springboks were indeed sidelined. South Africa had a harsher lockdown than most of the world’s rugby playing nations and an already teetering economy was put under immense strain. We all came out of that period a little jaded, even those of us who no longer live in the country. If you have roots on Africa’s southern edge you’ll know this to be true.

Perhaps this altered Erasmus in some way. Maybe he was always going to launch a tirade of some sort that would land him in hot water with the authorities. Whether it was preordained or the consequence of the world falling apart, Erasmus’ narrative arc has veered off course.

He has a chance to put it right. A documentary chronicling his life will be released this Sunday on SuperSport in South Africa. Erasmus tweeted twice to promote it. The first said, “I suggest flawless people give it a skip”, while the second addressed “all the ‘normal’ people”.

Is he being sanctimonious? It does feel like he is. Is he intimating that he’s not “normal” in the way misunderstood artists and musicians might self-identity as abnormal? Is he judging the rest of us for being judgmental? Is this attempt to unlock the mysteries that lie between his ears akin to untangling the Gordian Knot?

The trailer for the documentary, simply called, Rassie: The Official Film, ends with the respected journalist, Simnikiwe Xabanisa, stating, “What a coach”. That he is. Maybe the best ever produced in South Africa. Maybe the best ever anywhere in the world. That is a debate for another time but enough people will agree with that statement to warrant the discussion.

It would be a shame if he continues down this path. He’s already lost the neutrals, now he’s starting to lose some devotees. Let’s hope he shelves the moaning and goading and wins back our love.

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Comments

10 Comments
C
Chris2 772 days ago

"His disciples have cast him as a messianic figure who boldly stands up to the real bullies of the global game"

what are you smoking?. We respect Rassie and his opinions as a world cup winning coach. The poor officiating by officials have been prevalent in the game long before "evil Rassie" came along and by the looks of journos defending them they will remain that way.

What is a fan to do when he/she sees obvious mistakes and inconsistencies, Take it on the chin? well social media has given the average fan/coach/player a platform to discuss such matters.

Lets take SA VS IRE as an example, SA fans have made it clear what they are unhappy about, if the Irish do the same we will see just how broken the officiating is, but why complain when you win?

J
Johan 772 days ago

Not crazy about ex-South Africans living in the 'first world' doing their cutting edge analysis with a foot in both continents. Even if I agree with their sentiments, the 'I love the Boks, but prefer my cozy London quarters' just pisses me off...

R
Ruaan 772 days ago

What bothered me most about the Nic Berry incident was that - as I understand it - Berry took the time to respond to each of the litany of complaints/queries the Boks submitted to him. Yet the video emerges even after Berry had gone to all that trouble, and he graciously owned up to - what he himself conceded - were a number of refereeing mistakes. I have no time for the argument that Rassie's points had merit. The way in which he dealt with that matter is to his eternal discredit, end of. And Rassie's Twitter potshots are becoming almost Trumpian. Dude, just stop.

But spare us the sermon about sanctimony, Daniel. Your writing is clever and enjoyable, but you do tend toward the smug side, what with the pop psychology blather (Is Rassie actually terminally insecure? Discuss!) and then the crowd-pleasing low blow, trotting out the tiresome brandy-and-coke trope. That last one alone is so cheap I have to speculate that you were yourself imbibing some strong stuff when you deemed it fit to commit the thought to writing.

Here's a handy rule-of-thumb: When you can envision this site's doyen of Saffa-bashing, the Right Honourable Ben Smith, chortling over something you've written, it's time to take a cold shower and try again.

J
John 772 days ago

Like him or hate him Russie is a genius nothing you say here really make sense.

D
David 772 days ago

“ Just after the ball was turned over on the opposite touchline, there is the hint of a possible forward pass.” You’re missing the same thing the ref missed (when Ireland transgressed, but not SA): the Irish #2 clearly kicks the ball through the ruck, leading to the “turnover”. This happened right in front of the ref. Going a step further: if there was nothing “wrong” with the decision, then why criticise Erasmus? Are you not, then, simply applying your biased interpretation of his intent to what might have been an honestly posted congratulatory Tweet?

B
Bobbyboi 772 days ago

Speak for yourself mate

J
Jono 772 days ago

The time for referees to be defended for poor officiating must come to an end. We have more technology tracking every bit of the game than ever before (and sometimes frustratingly so) that no excuses can be made for poor decisions anymore. Players get carded and punished for any little wrongdoing and they have to own up to it or they will be frowned upon, but referees (and their 3 assistants) get away with murder and hide behind it with zero consequences. Instead of blasting Rassie, all the criticism must be put on World Rugby, and quite frankly referees need to put their hand up and take responsibility. I'm not saying that only the Springboks get on the wrong side of poor calls, all teams do, but when do we as the fans say enough is enough.

r
robespierre 772 days ago

The Trump of rugby Twitter

T
Tate 772 days ago

blah

blah blah

blah blah blah blah

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