https://youtu.be/epFrwtfXF64
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Candidate for the Guiness Record for Longest Ever Dummy Spit.
Rugby Australia has released a statement condemning comments made by Rassie Erasmus in a video released online earlier this week.
Rugby Australia has slammed Rassie Erasmus after the South African Director of Rugby released a video criticising Australian referee Nic Berry this week.
Following South Africa’s 22-17 loss in the first game of its three Test series with the British & Irish Lions, Erasmus posted a 60-minute-long tirade online.
In it, he blasted Berry’s officiating of the match, claiming the referee treated South African captain Siya Kolisi differently from his Lions counterpart Alun Wyn.
“There is a vast difference between who he was taking seriously and who he wasn’t taking seriously,” Erasmus alleged in the video.
“The way they listened to Siya compared to the way they listened to Alun Wyn was definitely not with the same respect. It shows the difference in attitude towards the Springboks and the Lions.”
Elsewhere in the video, Erasmus dissected several of Berry’s decisions that he believed were incorrect.
Erasmus also offered to “step away” from his role as the Springboks’ water carrier for the last two Test matches of the series should his remarks prove controversial.
On Friday, Rugby Australia released a statement addressing Erasmus’ video in which it noted its “dismay and concern”.
“There is no place for abuse of match officials in Australian Rugby, with Rugby Australia committed to promoting a fair, safe and inclusive Rugby experience for all participants, officials and fans,” the statement read.
“Rugby Australia believes the recent actions are unacceptable and against the spirit and values of the game.”
Rugby Australia’s chief executive added: “Match officials form the very fabric of our game – simply, the game would not exist without them.
“As a highly regarded and respected international referee appointed by World Rugby, the attack on Nic’s integrity, character and reputation is unacceptable.
“We have been in contact with World Rugby, under whose auspices this Test Series sit, and understand that they are actively reviewing this matter as some facts presented were not accurate.
“It is important to ensure public attacks of this nature are not tolerated. We will continue to provide support to Nic at this time, as both his physical and mental wellbeing remains a priority for us.”
Earlier on Friday (AEST), World Rugby released a statement saying it would discuss Erasmus’ rant with SA Rugby before making further comment.
https://www.news.com.au/sport/rugby/...d7069de2f9b637
And Erasmus is completely wrong because ....?
It's not like we haven't had issues with Nic Berry ourselves. He was the ref who gave a 9-0 first half penalty count against us when we played the Brumbies earlier this season (two of those penalties going against us as we shoved the Brumby scrum backwards).
Note carefully that rugby Australia didn't defend Berry's performance, rather they said that Erasmus comments weren't inclusive and not in the spirit of the game.
Berry is a lotto ticket referee, it appears that he decides to police one team and ignore the other in every match he officiates but he isn't consistent in his bias (even for Qld apparently, although the Reds do get the clean end of the stick fairly often) I think he's simply out of his depth and physically incapable of seeing as much as actual international standard referees.
World rugby judiciary's routinely overturn decisions he's made, yet he keeps getting chosen for matches.
He's Jake Gordon with a whistle
I fast forwarded through the first 20 odd minutes because listening to Rassie Erasmus for that long could cure insomnia.
The first couple of points he raised seemed a bit like a random whinge. The hold back after the knock on seemed like a non issue as the knock on would have ended that passage of play barring dangerous foul play. The next issue of the in from the side also a bit of a whinge given there was a penalty advantage and Berry went back for the penalty.
Having said that Erasmus did raise a couple of valid points in the driving tio tackle right in front of Berry, O'Keefe and the TMO also had a look at it. I would have thought a yellow at a minimum if not a red given the driving action involved with the tackle.
He also raised the dangerous clean out on Green 11 by two Lions players which is probably worth raising, although Red 11 seems to be the one doing the driving into the ground, and he came from an offside position as well. That could be close to a yellow I reckon.
Stoped watching there because like I said, Erasmus is about as entertaining as watching paint dry. Might watch the rest tomorrow.
Kind of feels like Erasmus is just playing 4D chess to get some favourable refereeing this weekend.
Also how does World Rugby feel about a director of rugby basically taking pot shots at the officials for an hour?
They would strongly condemn it, saying that the referee is the sole judge of law.They would then have a judiciary peruse the exact evidence that was available to a referee and come to a different conclusion after the fact and issue a press release doing essentially the same thing that Erasmus is doing without a hint of hypocrisy :sarcastic:Quote:
Originally Posted by jargan83