South Africa boss Rassie Erasmus says he will quit Lions series in shock video rant about refereeing on tour

RASSIE ERASMUS dropped a Lions bombshell as the South Africa boss said he would QUIT ahead of the last two Tests.

Under-pressure Erasmus posted a shock hour-long video this morning as he went nuclear.

During a sensational and damning slating of the referees for South Africa’s First Test defeat, the Springboks chief issued endless threats to step down.

Ranting Erasmus said: “I have previous encounters where I’ve made mistakes, saying things in public about referees and that normally comes back to bite you.

“But in this instance, the Lions only comes around every 12 years.

“And I think it should be fair that I’ll step away from these last two Test matches, but let the Springboks and the Lions have an equal chance on the field when it comes to laws, respect and the way that players get treated.”

After posting his 62 minute take down of official Nic Berry, Erasmus wrapped things up with yet ANOTHER quit threat.

He added: “If you think this is going over the top and it shouldn’t go out to the media, then I did this in my personal capacity, not as part of the Springboks and I’ll withdraw myself from the Springbok management team.”

The South African Rugby Union have yet to comment and it is unsure if they were aware that the video was being posted.

Erasmus also hinted that he was uploading the content without their knowledge.

And World Rugby will no doubt be furious at this latest public and humiliating pasting.

There was also another stinging allegation that Boks skipper Siya Kolisi was treated with less respect than Lions counterpart Alun Wyn Jones.

Erasmus said: “When Siya spoke to the referee and when Alun Wyn spoke to the referee, I felt the reactions on how they treated both those players. . . there was a vast difference between who was taken seriously and who wasn’t.

“It’s comical, the way the respect the assistant referees and the refs is different between the Lions and South Africa.

“There was a vast difference between who he was taking serious and who he wasn’t taking serious.”

During his video nasty of 26 different clips, Erasmus also raised his controversial position of being his side’s water carrier.

He continued: “If this causes that I’m not allowed to be water carrier that’s fine, I’ll step away.

“If we’re going to get a fine, I’ll step away from the management team.

“If this means the Springboks will get in trouble I’ll say I did this personally, because I believe in fairness, the system and two teams having an equal chance of competing in a match.

“I’m not saying the referee was a cheat at all, saying we just wanted clarity on a Sunday night, which we now have on a Tuesday, which I personally am not very convinced with the clarity we had from Nic Berry”

 

He highlighted clips of Lions flanker Tom Curry taking out Sale Sharks teammate Faf de Klerk late and clearing out winger Makazole Mapimpi at a ruck.

And he also complained that the Lions wanted De Klerk red-carded for his head-butt on Josh Navidi a week before during the South Africa ‘A’ scrap.

He added: “I think where things for us got cluttered and frustrating was when the Lions started moaning about officiating on the field where for example Faf got a yellow card in the South Africa ‘A’ game.

“The Lions criticised that and said they wanted clarity from World Rugby where it should have been a red card and was it not direct head contact.

“We had in the same game lots of clips of the Lions making mistakes, just like us.

“Warren openly said it should have been a red card.

“Obviously then he talks to the media and according to me is that you don’t talk to the media, you talk to World Rugby.

“Again it is a bit of a grey area. If you wanted to go in such depth about Faf’s.

“We just put two on social media. We saw it as banter. Before a big Test match, they put some pressure, we put some pressure on.

“Where we got a bit worried was this narrative that we are this dirty team and all the chat was that the South Africans want to play physical and that’s why they highlighted the Faf thing.

“When the TMO was drawn and Marius Jonker was appointed, the Lions made such a fuss of it.

“We don’t want this negativity in South Africa.”

World Rugby added: “World Rugby notes the comments made by Rassie Erasmus.

“The nature of these will be raised with the union via the usual official channels and no further comment will be made at this stage.”