SA Rugby
World Rugby has charged SA Rugby’s Director of Rugby Rassie Erasmus as well as SA Rugby with misconduct over the video released last week where Erasmus criticises refereeing decisions in the first test against the British and Irish Lions.
SA Rugby responded with a terse statement in which it noted the charges brought by World Rugby but said it would make no further comment until the process is complete.
No date has been set for the hearing.
“Match officials are the backbone of the sport, and without them there is no game. World Rugby condemns any public criticism of their selection, performance or integrity which undermines their role, the well-established and trust-based coach-officials feedback process, and more importantly, the values that are at the heart of the sport."
World Rugby added that the extensive and direct nature of the comments made by Rassie Erasmus within the video address, in particular, meets the threshold to be considered a breach of World Rugby Regulation 18 (Misconduct and Code of Conduct) and will now be considered by an independent disciplinary panel.
Meanwhile: British and Irish Lions prop Kyle Sinckler could face up to six months on the sidelines if found guilty of biting lock Franco Mostert in Saturday’s acrimonious second-test loss to the Springboks in Cape Town.
The tribunal is set to hear evidence from the match officials, Sinckler and Mostert on Tuesday.
