Rassie defends tweets

South African Rugby director Rassie Erasmus claims his recent tweets, which have created a storm on social media, were not directed at the referees and were instead to inform SA rugby fans where the Springboks need to improve.

Erasmus was responding to a question posed to him by the media at the Springboks team announcement press conference yesterday on whether he was worried about getting in more trouble with World Rugby, after he was sanctioned last year due to his video on referee Nic Berry.

But Erasmus was adamant that his tweets were aimed at giving SA rugby fans a better understanding of what the team needs to improve on. “We have always been really close to our fans. If you go and read the tweets, they are actually for South African supporters to understand that there are some things that guys are doing really well,” explained Erasmus.

“People then form their own opinions and I understand that. They read the tweets and want to add something to the narrative.

“It’s obviously something on our side that we have to fix. I think South African supporters would like to understand that, and if people then put a narrative to that, I can’t control that unfortunately.”

Addressing some of the videos that he shared in the tweets Erasmus said: “Obviously Cheslin can’t go in that high, if he is not going to tackle the guy, he has to go lower.

“Even where we spoke about the TMO [television match official] not being available, I don’t believe Wayne Barnes will let that go and just say the TMO is not available, and that’s why we said we have no qualms with that try.

“When we make a pass of 10m, it is an optical illusion, it looks forward, and then the short pass doesn’t, and if we don’t learn from those things and get those things right it will never change.

“I don’t say things to referees. I am saying these are things that we must fix, and if somebody doesn’t want to follow that, unfollow me or mute me. But surely there are South African supporters who want to know where we are going, and what we are getting right or wrong.”