THE war of words ahead of the second Test between South Africa and the British & Irish Lions intensified when Springboks captain Siya Kolisi claimed he had not been shown enough respect by the referee last week.
And, speaking at the same media conference, assistant coach Mzwandile Stick added fuel to the fire by declaring that the Lions had destroyed the integrity of the three-match series when they questioned the appointment of a South African to be Television Match Official (TMO) for the series.
The TMO position invariably goes to a neutral, but Marius Jonker was handed the task when New Zealander Brendon Pickerill was unable to travel because of Covid restrictions. Lions head coach Warren Gatland made sure his concerns were known, and assistant coach Robin McBryde declared before the match that the decision lacked foresight - although in the end the visitors had nothing to complain about, as Jonker chalked off two Springboks tries that had been awarded by Australian referee Nic Berry.
Springboks director of rugby Rassie Erasmus had a lot to complain about, by contrast, and in a bizarre hour-long rant posted on social media this week he listed well over 20 supposed errors made in the match by Berry. It is virtually unprecedented for a high-ranking national official to make such a savage dissection of a referee’s performance, but Stick sought to portray his boss’s character assassination as merely a riposte to the Lions’ concerns about Jonker.
“The integrity of World Rugby was challenged when Marius Jonker was appointed TMO and then someone, Gatland, on the other side was asking them about the decision they had made,” he said. “To date I haven’t heard any statement from his side apologising about it. I haven’t heard any statement from World Rugby.
“If Rassie got into trouble because of what he said on social media, I think the gentleman that challenged the integrity of the game at the beginning when the TMO was challenged, I think that is something that really destroyed the dignity of the series, and it also challenges the integrity of World Rugby.”
So far, in fact, Erasmus has not got into any trouble for his video, with World Rugby merely saying they are aware of his comments. However, Rugby Australia did condemn his remarks yesterday, saying:
“Rugby Australia has noted with dismay and concern the recent public commentary by South African director of rugby Rassie Erasmus, regarding Australian referee Nic Berry and other match officials. There is no place for abuse of match officials in Australian Rugby, with Rugby Australia committed to promoting a fair, safe and inclusive Rugby experience for all participants, officials and fans.”
One of the issues raised by Erasmus was the supposed imbalance in Berry’s treatment of Kolisi and Lions captain Alun Wyn Jones. Asked about that, the Springboks skipper was unable to highlight a specific example of that imbalance, saying to his questioner “Did you watch the video?” But he did insist he had suffered a lack of respect - while also carefully adding that he had every confidence in the ability of today’s referee, Ben O’Keeffe from New Zealand, to avoid a repetition of that fault.
“I didn't feel respected at all,” Kolisi said. “I didn't feel I was given a fair opportunity. I didn’t get given the same access to the referee.
“I'm looking forward to a new game and a new referee. I think Ben will give a fair opportunity for both captains and that's all we're asking."
The Lions, meanwhile, have sought to downplay the whole issue. “We had a good meeting with the referees yesterday,” McBryde said. “As Ben O’Keeffe said himself, he said ‘Listen, we’re aware there’s a lot of stuff out there on social media et cetera, but that’s not going to affect anything’, you know. So that’s just a sideshow, to be honest with you.
“But we had a positive discussion with the referees. Everyone realises they’re in a tough place. They’ve got a tough job to do. But we were really happy with Nic Berry last Saturday and I don’t think it will be any different this weekend either.
“On Ben, listen, we’ve got no issues. He’s a top man and we’re looking forward to working with him on Saturday.
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