SA Rugby director of rugby Rassie Erasmus making peace with World Rugby Springboks. Photo: SA Rugby website.

SA Rugby director of rugby Rassie Erasmus. Photo: SA Rugby website.

Reminder: Why Rassie Erasmus has gone silent on Twitter

Springboks boss Rassie Erasmus has not tweeted since February, and there is a reason why he has gone ‘silent’ for the foreseeable future.

by Craig Lewis

02-05-2023 11:28

in Rugby

SA Rugby director of rugby Rassie Erasmus. Photo: SA Rugby website.

Towards the end of last year, Rassie Erasmus reiterated the importance and power of social media, admitting he had to change his approach to using this platform.

Such sentiments came soon after World Rugby dramatically issued Erasmus with another ban on all match-day activities for two Tests as a result of social media posts on the Springboks’ end-of-year tour, which were deemed to be critical of officials.

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It’s not the first time Erasmus has run into trouble on social media, with his infamous video from the 2021 British & Irish Lions series having also been leaked across widespread social platforms, and which led to a lengthy and infamous ban.

The veteran coach has used Twitter – in particular – to share many videos and opinions, which most recently included a lengthy voice note hitting out at former Springbok coach Nick Mallett for perceived criticisms that he levelled at the director of rugby.

However, Erasmus has not made another post since 11 February, when he shared that message to Mallett.

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https://twitter.com/RassieRugby/status/1624238597191700480

With all this in mind, in a recent interview with the UK’s Daily Mail, Erasmus hinted that he was taking a break from Twitter. And here’s why.

“Even the way I talk, sometimes people think it’s aggressive. When you’ve known me a while you know it’s not aggressive. We definitely want to change that view. Prior to those two incidents [Erasmus’s bans], we never had stuff like that. It will take hard work to change.”

Rassie is determined to ensure the Springboks have the tools to successfully defend their World Cup title

It’s part of the reason why Erasmus wants to recruit a ‘referee expert’ to serve as the middle man between the Springboks and World Rugby when it comes to discussing key officiating issues.

“I don’t want to talk myself into a hole again here,” Rassie commented. “We basically felt we have to repair this because obviously there’s not a great relationship (with referees and World Rugby). We want to reset that. It’s a genuine need for us to change.”

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And when Erasmus was specifically asked if he would be deleting Twitter at the World Cup to avoid running into any trouble, he admitted he was staying off the platform.

“Errr… let’s open it up when everyone is nice and calm about everything,” he stated. “I’ll keep quiet, my mum is on my case!”

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