Cape Town — In a bold move, Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus has seemingly fired back at rugby union coach Jake White with a pointed comment on his X account.
To add fuel to the fire, he has also followed the official account of New Zealand’s All Blacks, who will compete against South Africa next weekend.
The Boks are gearing up to take on their rugby rivals in two home matches on August 31 and September 7, which has since reignited the coaches’ rivalry ahead of these major games.
Rassie has updated his username to “Johan Erasmus when he was entitled” on X, and changed his profile picture to a nostalgic throwback from his rugby days.
This move has left rugby fans both amused and a bit puzzled.
https://x.com/RassieRugby
Many supporters have interpreted this as an indirect jab at White, who recently issued a “cautionary” warning to both Rassie and the entire Springbok squad.
In an article for Rugby365, White expressed concerns about Rassie’s handling of the transition from older to newer players and criticised him for allowing players like Siya Kolisi and Eben Etzebeth to gain celebrity status
“I deliberately did that because I didn’t want them to get carried away or lose their respect for a team game,” White said.
Meanwhile, Rassie Erasmus has heightened the tension in the rugby world by exclusively following the Springboks’ next opponents, the All Blacks.
This tactic is a well-known part of his strategy to unsettle rival teams.
https://x.com/RassieRugby/following
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Compiled by Lauren Petersen
