Death threats prompt RFU to demand further action taken against Rassie Erasmus

South Africa Rugby is under increasing pressure to take action against Rassie Erasmus after the English Rugby Football Union (RFU) lodged a complaint over his social media posts concerning Wayne Barnes’s refereeing, which have led to death threats directed at the official.

It is understood that the RFU wrote an angry letter to its South African counterparts this week, outlining how Barnes – who was taking charge of his 100th Test last Saturday in France’s narrow win over South Africa – has been subjected to online threats while his family has also been targeted.

Erasmus was on Thursday night banned by World Rugby for two matches for his social media outbursts following that match in Marseille – meaning he will miss the Springboks’ clash with England at Twickenham next week, as well as Saturday’s game in Italy – but there is a growing clamour for his employers to act.

South Africa’s director of rugby had only recently returned from a 12-month ban from matchday activities for his hour-long video and forensic criticism of the Australian referee Nic Berry during the British & Irish Lions tour of South Africa in 2021. Warren Gatland, who coached the Lions against South Africa, has also called on the union to instruct Erasmus to refrain from making comments on social media.

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The RFU is understood to be concerned by the mental toll Erasmus’s comments can have on officials – Berry revealed the extreme strain he was put under last year – and wants Erasmus to delete his posts, including a number of videos of incidents accompanied by sarcastic messages.

He also posted on Friday that he had not intended to encourage South Africa supporters to target Barnes with online abuse. “Like myself the referee of the French test & his family have received threats & abuse,” Erasmus wrote on Thursday. “Apparently it’s partly due to my tweets which is totally unfounded. Tweets were not aimed at the officials, but to our South Africa fans on what we should do better. Have a go at me not the ref!!”

Eramsus has a widespread following on social media, however, and his comments inevitably led to a torrent of abuse. Indeed, after his claims the wife of the South Africa winger Cheslin Kolbe appeared to insinuate that match officials for France’s win over the Springboks had taken a bribe in a social media post that has since been deleted.

Erasmus was finally banned for his behaviour during the Lions tour last November – four months after the incidents – but World Rugby has since beefed up its disciplinary process to take firmer action, with Erasmus swiftly punished 12 months on. He made similar social media posts after South Africa’s narrow defeat in Ireland at the start of this month.

World Rugby’s statement on Thursday read: “Match officials are the backbone of the sport and without them there is no game. World Rugby condemns any public criticism of match official selection, performance or integrity, which undermines their role, the trust-based coach/match officials feedback process and the values of integrity, respect, solidarity and discipline that are at the heart of the sport.

“The behaviour of coaching staff and match officials are widely observed by fans, media and participants at every level, and such behaviours affect how the values are applied across the game.”