Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus has been criticised for his latest social media activities amid speculation of Tony Brown returning to New Zealand.
Jamie Joseph has emerged as the favourite to succeed Scott Robertson as the All Blacks‘ head coach, leading to speculation that Brown would rekindle his partnership with the man he worked with at the Highlanders and Japan.
Disrespectful Rassie
However, Erasmus dispelled the rumours that the Springboks would be losing their attack guru, via his social media channels, posting an image and then a video of Brown’s face edited over Leonardo DiCaprio with the text on the image reading ‘I’m not leaving’, referencing the scene from The Wolf of Wall Street.
Renowned New Zealand pundit Scotty Stevenson has lashed out at the Bok coach’s actions, stating that it is disrespectful to Robertson.
“I think a lot of people are enjoying the schadenfreude of the moment; that is for sure. Certainly, South African fans are,” he said on his Sport Nation show.
“Rassie Erasmus’ AI post of Tony Brown was childish. I think it does a coaching compatriot in Scott Robertson a massive disservice as well, but that’s stirring the pot and grist for the mill.”
Stevenson was hugely critical of NZ Rugby’s decision to sack Robertson, labelling the board as a ‘pack of clowns’ and added that it now forces the bigwigs to take stock of the state of the game in New Zealand.
“This is going to make people take stock of where the game’s at here, and if that’s a good thing to come from this, I’m for it, but in my time covering the game, this is an extraordinary circumstance,” he continued.
“An extraordinary circumstance where there is a lot going on, and there will be silence from some quarters. I don’t blame the players for not coming out. They’re employed by New Zealand Rugby, which player would?”
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Springboks’ limping
One of the things that he believes the union should be looking at is the eligibility of players plying their trade abroad, pointing to former lock Brodie Retallick as a prime example.
The experienced broadcaster admitted that South Africa have had success in selecting players based abroad, but also took another swipe at the Boks in doing so.
“I think if you had to ask me what 2024/25 seasons were about, it was creating 50 All Blacks,” he continued.
“We’ve talked about this time after time and the world talks about it, South Africa’s depth. Now I know they have different eligibility criteria in South Africa, which aids and abets the cause of Rassie Erasmus. Again, you could look at reasons, but you know, the fact is Brodie Retallick scoring four tries in a game for a Japanese club at the moment. Wouldn’t you love to see him in black?
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“I mean, we’ve got players who, through New Zealand Rugby’s own rules and stipulations, can’t play for their national side. Please correct me if I’m wrong, but I mean, are you saying you still wouldn’t have Retallick in your All-Black line-up? I would.
“With all respect intended for those coming through the ranks, and you think about our locking stocks pretty young, Paddy Tuipulotu was out of action a lot last year as well. The irony for me is that you think about some of those Springboks who are limping their way to the next Rugby World Cup. Some of them are going to be very long in the tooth, and they’re not going to be the weapons they once were.”