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| Rassie Erasmus, Head of Springboks, Criticizes World Rugby-Linked Publication |
Rassie Erasmus has expressed his disapproval of RugbyPass, a publication owned by World Rugby, for sharing a meme that appeared to support Ireland and Scotland in the Rugby World Cup. Erasmus, the director of rugby for South Africa, has been active on social media this week, particularly because the Springboks weren't playing in the final round of pool matches.
The outcome of the Saturday's game between Ireland and Scotland will determine South Africa's fate in Pool B. Only one scenario could potentially lead to the defending champions' elimination. For South Africa to exit the competition, Scotland would need to defeat Ireland by at least 21 points while also securing a bonus point. Furthermore, Ireland would have to score four tries in the match, which would result in South Africa being eliminated.
RugbyPass made light of these complex permutations by posting three explanatory images on social media, humorously referring to it as "Scotland’s checklist for today: A bonus point win, A margin of 21 points." Erasmus swiftly responded to the post, suggesting that RugbyPass should maintain a neutral stance and humorously remarking, "RugbyPass not owned by World Rugby" along with a laughing emoji.
Erasmus further emphasized his point by sharing a screenshot of a media release from October of the previous year, confirming World Rugby's acquisition of RugbyPass. The statement stated, "World Rugby acquires RugbyPass to enter direct-to-consumer market in wide-ranging rights deal with Sky New Zealand."
Erasmus' activity on social media platform X has always garnered attention, especially when it involves the teams that the Springboks are set to face. In the lead-up to the crucial weekend match, he followed both Ireland and Scotland on the platform. RugbyPass took notice of this and posted another image highlighting Erasmus' recent follows.
In response, the former Springbok forward shared a screenshot of the earlier post, which had been deleted after his reaction, accompanied by a shrugging emoji. As the game approached, Erasmus also chose to unfollow both Scotland and Ireland on social media.
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