'The respect shown to Siya Kolisi compared to Alun Wyn Jones was just two different levels' - Rassie Erasmus
'The respect shown to Siya Kolisi compared to Alun Wyn Jones was just two different levels' - Rassie Erasmus

In his hour-long video slamming World Rugby and the officials from the first test, SA Rugby Director of Rugby Rassie Erasmus has criticised the matchday officials for not treating the two captains with equal respect. 

In the video, Erasmus addresses a host of concerns from the first test match with one of those being how the officials listened to Alun Wyn Jones' concerns more than Siya Kolsi's. 

Erasmus highlights this on two occasions during the video, the first time about 18 minutes into the video. 

The incident that Erasmus refers to occurs in the final 10 minutes of the game when Damian de Allende was denied a try by the officials. While Erasmus does not contest that it should be a try, he does argue that the Springboks should have been awarded a penalty for foul play. 

After Cheslin Kolbe's knock-on, Robbie Henshaw collects the ball and tries to fire a pass out to Elliot Daly with Lukhanyo Am speeding up to make a tackle on the Irishman. The pass goes to the ground and Makazole Mapimpi is the quickest player to the ball and kicks it ahead. This is where Erasmus feels the Springboks should have been awarded a penalty as Daly holds Mapimpi back as he charges after the ball.


Erasmus explains that him being the water carrier in the game, he was able to pick up the treatment of the two captains by the officials. 


'When Siya [Kolisi] spoke to the referee and when Alun Wyn [Jones] spoke to the referee, I just felt the reactions on how they treated both those players, on who he wasn't taking seriously and who he was taking seriously, was vastly different' Erasmus says.

Erasmus goes on to argue that Daly holding Mapimpi back is foul play and that foul play overrules anything else, so there can be a knock-on beforehand. Erasmus says 'The explanation that Nick Berry gave me, is that the foul play must be dangerous to overrule something else.' He goes on to explain that he has looked through the law book and he can't find any clarification that the foul play must be dangerous to overrule the previous mistake, like a knock on.' 

He goes on to explain that he has looked through the law book and he can't find any clarification that the foul play must be dangerous to overrule the previous mistake, like a knock-on.

Erasmus then highlights how Alun Wyn Jones speaks to the officials to tell them that Cheslin Kolbe had knocked on the ball and how they listen which he says 'is fair'. But when Siya Kolisi tries to highlight the actions of Daly while Mapimpi was not in possession of the ball, he is told to 'go away.'

He adds that 'The respect shown to Siya Kolisi compared to Alun Wyn Jones was just two different levels'.

The second incident that Erasmus highlights where Alun Wyn Jones is given preferential treatment is about 46 minutes into his video and occurs in the 60th minute of the game.

Erasmus starts by saying that is again frustrating. Erasmus says that the Springboks requested that officials gave both sides the same respect because 'The narrative the Lions put out there is that we [The Springboks] don't know the laws and are just playing on power and don't respect the laws of the game'.

He adds that Siya Kolisi said in the pre-match meeting with the referees that 'he will never talk to him [the referee], if there wasn't something that was really bothering him, like Alun Wyn Jones was referring to earlier to Cheslin Kolbe's knock on'

The error from the referee that Erasmus refers to is when Kolbe and Robbie Henshaw competed for the ball and the latter knocked it forward before it went to Duhan van der Merwe who charged into the Springboks 22.

The Springboks were eventually awarded a scrum for this but Erasmus argues that it should in fact be a penalty to the Springboks because they can not rule it as a forward pass and that a knock on to a player in an offside position results in a penalty. 

When Siya Kolisi argues the decision, Erasmus says that 'it is almost like he is laughing at Siya'.

'You can see Siya is still here talking to him but he is just ignoring him, the same with the TMO' he added.

'We feel that we got no joy from anything because we were quiet last week [in the media] and they were all over the media [the Lions] and we got no positive results on the field. 

Watch the full video below:

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