Rassie Erasmus, South Africa’s World Cup-winning coach, has been banned from rugby just 72 hours before the Springboks play England.
Four months after releasing an hour-long video rant criticising officials during the British and Irish Lions tour, South Africa’s director of rugby finally discovered his fate.
World Rugby upheld six charges of misconduct and suspended him from all rugby activity for two months.
Erasmus, who says he will appeal, is also suspended from all match-day activities, including coaching and media engagement, until the end of September.
The charges included attacking, disparaging and/or denigrating the game and match officials and not accepting the authority of the match officials in the first Test, which the Lions won before going on to lose the series.
Nic Berry, who refereed the game, said: "The public attack on my integrity and character is not something that should be tolerated in any workplace.
“Due to the actions of Mr Erasmus, my family and I have endured a significant amount of distress. My reputation as a referee and a person will forever be tarnished. His actions are against everything the game stands for.”
The disciplinary panel’s 80-page judgement did not hold back in their condemnation of Erasmus’ outburst, branding it an “especially serious and egregious example of offending of this kind.
“It involved pre-meditated, multiple abusive and insulting comments and attacks on the officials’ integrity.”
Two further charges were brought against SA Rugby who were handed a fine of £20,000 and a warning over future conduct.
It capped a turbulent day in the tourists camp, which awoke to the tragic news that the 10-month-old son of Boks legend Jannie du Plessis had drowned in a swimming pool at the family home.
Midfield star Damian de Allende insists the team needed no further motivation to get fired up for England and end the most difficult two years rugby has known on a Twickenham high.
“It’s been a challenging time,” he said, with some understatement.
The Springboks spent the first 20 months in lockdown after beating England in the World Cup final as the global pandemic took hold.
Unable to bask in the glow of their triumph they instead lived in fear that the British and Irish Lions tour would be cancelled.
When they did finally get the go-ahead to play they were shut away in a bio-bubble, first for the Lions series at home then the Rugby Championship in Australia.
Despite all of that the Boks beat the Lions and are now 80 minutes from becoming the first South African team to sweep a European tour since 2013.
“It was a bit dampening to all of us when the Covid outbreak happened and we were separated,” said De Allende. “We only started training again as a full squad on the Monday before the first Lions Test in July of this year.
“We were in a bubble during that series and then going to Australia was also tough for us all mentally.
“As a squad we have definitely had our challenges but we got through all that and now there’s one more big push this weekend.
“We want to end the tour on a high then as a squad we can sit down together, have a nice beer, smile about what we’ve been through and cherish the memories we’ve made together.”
