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Weekend Rugby Wrap

Shaun Goosen wraps up this weekend’s rugby action.

Image Copyright - Steve Haag

Shaun Goosen wraps up this past weekend’s rugby action.

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Boks crush Lions in second-half to book series decider

The Springboks beat the British & Irish Lions 27-9 in the second Test at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday to level the series. After their defeat in the opener, Jacques Nienaber’s men hit back emphatically here, winning the second half 21-0 and totally overwhelming the Lions in the final quarter. Makazole Mapimpi was named the official Man of the Match, but in reality the award could have gone to a number of South Africans, with Siya Kolisi, Franco Mostert, Faf de Klerk and Damian de Allende all sublime. Warren Gatland will have some tough calls to make this week as he tries to manufacture another way to cope with the Boks’ physical intensity and effectiveness.

The match was a long one, with each half lasting over an hour due to a number of stoppages in play. Each side was issued a yellow card, with Duhan van der Merwe and Cheslin Kolbe spending time in the bin, and several injury stoppages certainly didn’t help to speed things up. It all played into the Boks’ hands though, with their slow poison via accurate set pieces and clinical decision-making earning them a famous win in the Mother City.

Rassie in trouble over video

Rassie Erasmus and SA Rugby will face an independent misconduct hearing from World Rugby following the video he released in the wake of the first Test match against the British & Irish Lions last week. The SA director of rugby recorded the one hour-long video to highlight perceived disrespect and “unfair treatment” levelled at the Boks by the officiating team during the first Test and called for more fairness and consistency from World Rugby’s referees.

World Rugby have since released a statement, reading:

“Match officials are the backbone of the sport, and without them there is no game. World Rugby condemns any public criticism of their selection, performance or integrity which undermines their role, the well-established and trust-based coach-officials feedback process and, more importantly, the values that are at the heart of the sport.

“Having conducted a full review of all the available information, World Rugby is concerned that individuals from both teams have commented on the selection and/or performance of match officials.

“However, the extensive and direct nature of the comments made by Rassie Erasmus within a video address, in particular, meets the threshold to be considered a breach of World Rugby Regulation 18 (Misconduct and Code of Conduct) and will now be considered by an independent disciplinary panel.

“World Rugby has reminded the management of both teams of the importance of this area and their obligations regarding the values of the sport. In order to protect the integrity of the sport and its values, World Rugby will also undertake a review of its Code of Conduct relating to incidents of this nature with a view to strengthening scope, rules and sanctions.

“As with any Test series, South Africa versus the British and Irish Lions is a showcase of rugby that generates great excitement and interest, even more so at this challenging time for sport and society. It is an opportunity for both teams and their management to set a positive example and concentrate on the spectacle and a wonderful example of rugby and its values at their best.”

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