'There was a lot of nastiness': Erasmus recalls losing friends after making Siya Kolisi Springbok captain

08 March 2022 - 12:00
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SA Rugby director of rugby Rassie Erasmus.
SA Rugby director of rugby Rassie Erasmus.
Image: Deryck Foster/BackpagePix/ File photo

SA Rugby director of rugby Rassie Erasmus has recalled the struggles he faced after making Siya Kolisi Springbok captain, saying there “was a lot of nastiness” and he lost friends in the process. 

In an interview with the Daily Mail, Erasmus delved into struggles he endured getting people to believe in Kolisi.

Kolisi was selected as the new captain of the Springboks in May 2018, becoming the team's first black captain in its more than 126-year history. 

The appointment came a year after he was selected as the captain of his former team, DHL Stormers.

“I lost a lot of friends when I made Siya captain. There was a lot of nastiness. Before the World Cup, my daughters' friends' parents would say, 'Tell that f****** father of yours to stop sucking up for a pay cheque.' People said it was political. The fight to get people to believe in Siya was a real struggle,” said Erasmus.

Erasmus said, during the first Test match, officials refused to hear Kolisi and questioned his every move.  

“When I was water carrier during that first Test, I was close to the action and I could see that Siya was not getting heard. Those people who always questioned Siya came back out and said, 'See Rassie, you f***** this up, we were right all along',” Erasmus recalled. 

“I'm not saying Nic Berry is racist. Absolutely not. 100%. I actually think he is a cool guy. But when you are in a volatile country with 54 million black people and six million white people then you at least need a conversation. I didn't understand why Siya's messages weren't getting through: do they think he's an a**hole?”

In his tribute letter to the DHL Stormers and Western Province Rugby Union last year, Kolisi thanked Erasmus and other coaches he worked under in Cape Town for taking a chance on him. 

He said he arrived as a boy and was departing as a man to join the Durban-based Sharks.

“Each one of you took me under your wing and guided me through to the highest level, showing me what it meant to be a leader, on and off the field.

“I am forever indebted to you for offering me the opportunity to live out my dream. You have allowed little boys and girls across SA who look like me to believe that they too can be anything they put their mind to,” said Kolisi.


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