There is a misconception that Rassie Erasmus, South Africa’s director of rugby and mischief-maker-in-chief, is rattled. Many, mostly in the UK, believe his extraordinary dissection of myriad mistakes by last week’s officials in the first Test between the Springboks and the British & Irish Lions is a sign of a man teetering on the edge.
Erasmus, who masterminded the Boks Rugby World Cup 2019 win after only 18 months in charge of the team, does not do anything on a whim. He is not rattled; he is rattling sabres at the Lions using the same tactics they employed in the lead-up to the first Test.