Former Ireland flanker Stephen Ferris has said that South Africa director of rugby Rassie Erasmus is "letting himself down" with his social media postings about the decisions of officials during games.
In November 2021, the former Munster boss was hit with a ten-and-a-half-month suspension from all match-day activities with the Springboks and a two-month suspension from all rugby after airing grievances in a video criticising referee Nic Berry in the aftermath of the first Lions Test in July 2021, which South Africa lost 22-17.
Erasmus' ban ended on 30 September and he was with the South African squad for their 19-16 defeat to Ireland at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.
In the aftermath, he tweeted out a video claiming to demonstrate the "small margins" between similar incidents in the lead-up to Mack Hansen’s try for Ireland - when Caelan Doris flicked the ball away at the breakdown with his foot - and a potential breakaway winner for South Africa’s Eben Etzebeth that was called back by match referee Nika Amashukeli.
"He’s very smart man, I’ve been in his company a few times. A real rugby intellect and he has a passion for the game. We’ve all watched the documentary [Chasing The Sun] - he has a passion for his country. He gets the best out of his players," Ferris told RTÉ 2FM’s Game On.
Tough test match, thanks for all the support from 🇿🇦, also thanks to the Ireland supporters at the Aviva, you definetly understand the game and its great to play in an atmosphere like yesterday ! Surely was a game of big battles,but small margins 👇🏿 pic.twitter.com/Jcjci2Jlvo
— Rassie Erasmus (@RassieRugby) November 6, 2022
"I think the whole refereeing scandal around the Lions tour was really below the belt.
"I think a lot of people, rugby fans in particular, lost a bit of respect for Rassie Erasmus.
"He sort of has this habit, this personality, of swinging people around again because he is a very likeable guy. He’s very charismatic, he talks a very good game.
"I think he just lets himself down at time with these kind of Twitter outbursts."
Ferris also believes that Erasmus was perhaps taking a long-term view to his posting with next year's World Cup on his mind.
"I don’t think he’s highlighting that that was ultimately how their team lost the game, I think he put things out on social media so when it comes to a World Cup quarter-final or semi-final and something like that happens, it is called back.
"There is that seed that has been sewn nine months, 10 months previous down in Dublin when the ball was kicked out of the breakdown.
"All of a sudden it triggers something during the Rugby World Cup so that is doesn’t happen."
