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'Respect shown to Siya compared to Alun Wyn was 2 different levels'

(Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

Rassie Erasmus has accused Nic Berry and his team of officials of being disrespectful towards Springboks skipper Siya Kolisi compared to their dealings with Lions skipper Alun Wyn Jones during last Saturday’s Test series opener in Cape Town which was won 22-17 by the tourists. 

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The Springboks director of rugby has filmed a spectacular hour-long video review of the various contentious decisions that occurred in the game and included in the 26-clip dossier was a four-minute look at how Berry and co treated Kolisi before they consulted with TMO Marius Jonker regarding the eventually disallowed 72nd minute try by Damian de Allende. 

Erasmus had initially contacted referee Berry on Sunday evening looking for clarification on a multitude of incidents that occurred in the closely fought Springboks versus Lions Test match only to be made to wait until Tuesday to get feedback. He then videoed a 60-minute review later that day detailing a myriad of concerns and this film made its way into the public domain on Thursday.

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Included in this was the try that was disallowed for a knock-on by Cheslin Kolbe. Erasmus agreed that a fumble had taken place but he queried why the subsequent foul play in which Makazole Mapimpi was pulled back by Elliot Daly off the ball before de Allende touched down wasn’t allowed to overrule the knock-on and give the Springboks the penalty in front of the posts which they would likely have converted for the lead. 

Erasmus also took grave exception to how the review by the officials commenced with Kolisi seemingly getting told to walk away while Lions skipper Jones was allowed to loiter for longer to ensure the knock-on by Kolbe was checked so that the try was ruled out.  

“Being a water carrier, being on the field, this is where I really experienced what one guy said and what the other guy said to the referee is totally different,” alleged a fuming Erasmus. “When Siya spoke to the referee and when Alun Wyn spoke to the referee, I just felt that the reactions on how they treated both those players there was a vast difference in who he was taking serious and who he wasn’t taking serious. 

“You can clearly see Makazole being held back. Now whatever you say that is foul play, you can never hold a player back and foul play overrules everything else so there can be a knock-on beforehand. The explanation which Nic gave me is that foul play must be dangerous to overrule something else. I have looked through the law book, I can’t find the place where it says foul play must be dangerous to overrule a previous mistake like a knock-on. 

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“Mapimpi runs through here and gets held back, Damian scores a try which eventually is not a try. I would like you to listen to the way Alun Wyn Jones talks to Nic Berry and to Ben O’Keeffe and tells them he thinks Cheslin knocks the ball on and they listen to him and it’s fair, and Siya is trying to tell them that Makazole is pulled back which is foul play and me being close to that, I wanted to Siya to tell the ref that it is foul play because foul play overrules anything else. 

“You can clearly see here Alun Jones refers to the knock-on and then Siya refers to the holding back and they just told Siya to go away and Alun Wyn just stays there and Siya had to walk away and Alun Wyn goes again to ask to check the knock-on which was a knock on… Cheslin did knock the ball on but that should be a penalty right in front of the posts. 

“I might be wrong, it might be a new law that came out somewhere where they said foul play must be dangerous to overrule anything else. Here you can see Cheslin knock on the ball and Marius has made the right call. 

“Yes, fine, Cheslin knocked on the ball but post this there was foul play when Mapimpi was pulled back so that didn’t go our way and the way they listened to Siya compared to the way they listen to Alun Wyn was definitely not with the same respect that both players should have.

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“If you look at the score, the score was 17-19 for the Lions in the 71st minute and a penalty in front of the posts where Makazole was pulled back puts us in the lead. If I am wrong that foul play must be dangerous to overrule then I am wrong and I apologise but according to me foul play should be overruling anything else, a penalty to us and we should then be up on the scoreboard which didn’t happen. But again I felt the respect shown to Siya compared to Alun Wyn was just two different levels.”

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Hellhound 41 minutes ago
South Africa player ratings | 2024 Autumn Nations Series

There is this thing going around against Siya Kolisi where they don't want him to be known as the best national captain ever, so they strike him down in ratings permanently whenever they can. They want McCaw and reckons he is the best captain ever. I disagree.


Just like they refuse to see SA as the best team and some have even said that should the Boks win a third WC in a row, they will still not be the best team ever. Even if they win every game between now and the WC. That is some serious hate coming SA's way.


Everyone forget how the McCaw AB's intimidated refs, was always on the wrong side, played on the ground etc. Things they would never have gotten away with today. They may have a better win ratio, but SA build depth, not caring about rank inbetween WC's until this year.


They weren't as bad inbetween as people claim, because non e of their losses was big ones and they almost never faced the strongest Bok team outside of the WC, allowing countries like France and Ireland to rise to the top unopposed.


Rassie is still at it, building more depth, getting more young stars into the fold. By the time he leaves (I hope never) he will leave a very strong Bok side for the next 15- 20 years. Not everyone will play for 20 years, but each year Rassie acknowledge the young stars and get them involved and ready for international rugby.


Not everyone will make it to the WC, but those 51/52 players will compete for those spots for the WC. They will deliver their best. The future of the Boks is in very safe hands. The only thing that bothers me is Rassie's health. If he can overcome it, rugby looks dark for the rest of the rugby world. He is already the greatest coach in WR history. By the time he retires, he will be the biggest legend any sport has ever seen

4 Go to comments
J
JW 56 minutes ago
'They smelt it': Scott Robertson says Italy sensed All Blacks' vulnerability

No where to be seen OB!


The crosses for me for the year where (from memory);


This was a really hard one to nail down as the first sign of a problem, now that I've asked myself to think about it. I'd say it all started with his decision to not back form and fit players after all the injuries, and/or him picking players for the future, rather ones that could play right now.


First he doesn't replace Perofeta straight away (goes on for months in the team) after injury against England, second he falls back to Beauden Barrett to cover at fullback against Fiji, then he drops Narawa the obvious choice to have started, then he brings in Jordan too soon. That Barret selection (and to a lesser extent Bell's) set the tone for the year.


Then he didn't get the side up for Argentina. They were blown away and didn't look like they expected a fight and were well beaten despite the scoreline in my opinion. Worst performance of the year in the forth game and..


Basically the same problems were persistent, or even exaggerated, after that with the players he did select not given much of an opportunity, with this year having the most number of unused subs I can remember since the amateur days.


What I think I started to realise early on was that he didn't back himself and his team. I think he prepared the players well, don't get me wrong, but I'll credit him with making a conscious choice in tempering his ambition and instead choosing cohesion and to respect (the idea of it being important in himself and his players) experience first and foremost (after two tight games and that 4th game loss). I think he chose wrong in deciding not to be, and back, himself. Hard criticism.


And it played out by preferring Beauden to Dmac on the EOYT (though that may have been a planned move).


I hope I'm right, because going through all the little things of the season and coming up with these bullets, I've got to wonder when I say his last fault is one we have seen at the Crusaders, playing his best players into the ground. What I'm really scared of now is that not wanting a bit of freshness in this last game could be linked with all these other crosses that I want to put down to simple confidence issues. But are they really a sign that he just lacks vision?


Now, that's not to say I haven't seen a lot of positives as well, I just think that for the ABs to go where they want to go he has to fix these crosses. Just have difficult that will be is the question.

24 Go to comments
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