‘It hurts … and I’m sad for the players’: Rassie on the red cards

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus and captain Siya Kolisi praised the fortitude and sacrifices made by the players, after a second straight difficult weekend due to a red card issued to a Bok player.

Two controversial decisions have seen locks Lood de Jager and Franco Mostert handed permanent reds, leading to the Boks playing with 14-men for over 40 minutes in their 32-17 win over France, and for 69 minutes in their 32-14 win over Italy this past Saturday.

Both those decisions led to the team having to make numerous early changes in both games, as they shifted their side around to account for the missing player, and Erasmus was particularly distraught for Kolisi, who had to be sacrificed in his 100^th game against France, and then again against Italy.

“We have a way to adapt (with a red card), but it’s unfair to individuals like Siya and Ben-Jason Dixon, who received a chance for the first time in a long time, but had to leave the field early to make way for a lock replacement,” explained Erasmus.

“Everyone, even the players not playing, were making plans. We are a very proud team in the way we level-change and avoid head contact, but we’ve received so many red cards … Makazole Mapimpi and Jasper Wiese both got six-week suspensions, and we are really trying hard.

“It’s not just them suffering, the game is suffering. It certainly makes us tighter as a team and more desperate, but it doesn’t take the hurt away, even though we got through it.

“I’m happy with the result, but I’m still sad for the players who have to take the brunt for someone who did something wrong by accident.”

Bok African-ness

Captain Kolisi backed up Erasmus and reiterated that the players and coaching staff were prepared for whatever is thrown at them, and that it was down to the teams unique “African-ness” that helps them overcome these challenges every week.

“We went through it last weekend, and this week we went through the same thing. So, we make plans in the game as we go along because such things happen,” said Kolisi.

“The biggest thing that we were asked this week is to show our ‘African-ness’, and that’s about making plans because there are always stumbles, and that’s what I am grateful for with our coaching staff.

“They are always prepared for any scenario, and even the guys who are not playing sit and make plans and decisions. They always buy in. But it doesn’t make it easy for us. We can talk about sacrifices, but seeing a guy like Franco sitting there, we could see the hurt in his eyes.

“That said, I love the way this team can stand up and fight. We always say that whatever happens between those four lines, we can still go as hard as we can and control what we can.”

The Boks now look ahead to a clash against Ireland in Dublin this coming weekend, before closing out their end-of-year-tour with a game against Wales in Cardiff.