Business Day

On-the-carpet Erasmus to miss Boks trip

- Nick Said

SA’s under-fire director of rugby Rassie Erasmus will not travel to Australia where the Springboks continue their Rugby Championsh­ip campaign.

It is feared his presence may be a distractio­n as he prepares to face a World Rugby hearing.

Erasmus has been hit with charges from World Rugby after the 62-minute video he created to critique Australian referee Nic Berry’s performanc­e in the first Test loss to the British & Irish Lions in Cape Town in July. It drew a furious response from Rugby Australia, who called the video “unacceptab­le and against the spirit and values of the game”.

Head coach Jacques Nienaber said Erasmus may link up with the team later, “schedule permitting”.

“Rassie has decided to remain in SA to allow the focus around the team to remain on the Rugby Championsh­ip and the team itself so that they can perform to the best of their ability on the field,” Nienaber said in a media release from SA Rugby on Thursday. “He will continue to play an active role in our team and coaches meetings throughout the tour.”

Erasmus could be hit with a number of sanctions by World Rugby if found guilty of bringing the game into disrepute, ranging from a fine to a stadium ban or even a complete suspension from the game.

The Boks have taken 42 players for the remaining four matches of the Championsh­ip, as strict Covid-19 travel protocols mean it will not be feasible for them to add more later in the event of injury. Nienaber said that they expect the entire group to be available for their first game on Australian soil against the hosts on the Gold Coast on September 12.

That means a return for injured players, including Duane Vermeulen and Faf de Klerk.

“All of the players should be available for selection for the first Test against Australia, so the coaches will be in a good position in terms of squad selection when we begin our preparatio­ns for those matches,” Nienaber said.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from South Africa