Rassie Erasmus has been found guilty of misconduct toward match officials during the series between the Springboks and British & Irish Lions, as SA Rugby reports.
Now, the SA Rugby director is reportedly banned from all rugby with immediate effect, as announced by World Rugby for the next two months, whilst additionally being suspended from all match-day activities until September 30, 2022.
The investigation was conducted by an independent committee that found the SA Rugby director in the hot seat for compiling a video in which he pointed out and broke down 26 errors made by referee Nic Berry in the first Test between the Springboks and Lions.
The decision of Erasmus’s banning was made based on 6 charges that included breaches of World Rugby’s regulation 18 as well as World Rugby’s Code of Conduct.
The charges are:
- Threatened a match official that unless a requested meeting took place, he would publish footage containing clips criticising the match official’s performance and then making good on that threat; published or permitted to be published the Erasmus video containing numerous comments that were either abusive, insulting and/or offensive to match officials;
- Attacked, disparaged and/or denigrated the game and the match officials;
- Did not accept or observe the authority and decisions of match officials;
- Published or caused to be published criticism of the manner in which a match official handled a match;
- Engaged in conduct or activity that may impair public confidence in the integrity and good character of match official(s); and
- Brought the game into disrepute when he published or caused to be published the Erasmus video.
What does this mean for Erasmus?
Suspense from all rugby activities will ensue for the next two months, and all-match day activities ranging from coaching, contact with match officials to media engagement until 30 September 2022.
SA Rugby in heat:
Additional charges and a fine of £20,000 were handed over to SA Rugby. Said charges pertain to the Erasmus video and not issuing correction upon thus as well as comments made by Siya Kolisi and assistant coach Mzwandile Stick at a press conference on 30 July 2021 that “adversely affected the game of rugby”.
Meanwhile, SA Rugby and Erasmus have offered a joint statement:
➡️ Joint statement from SA Rugby and Rassie Erasmus: https://t.co/rmnVnVGwCH
— Springboks (@Springboks) November 17, 2021
Erasmus and SA Rugby reportedly have seven days to appeal the decision.
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Picture: Springboks Rugby