Rassie praises handling of Kolisi incident

Thank you for your swiftness.

That was Rassie Erasmus’ praise in a nutshell for World Rugby’s handling of the Siya Kolisi incident.

The Springbok captain has seemed to be in trouble for an alleged headbutting of Scottish centre Pete Horne after he was pinned to the ground, but the governing body ruled there were “mitigating circumstances” and was let off with a warning.

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“It’s a relief he can play against Wales (on Saturday),” Erasmus was quoted by Netwerk24 as saying at his arrival media conference in Cardiff.

“He’s our captain and I really need to give World Rugby credit. Whatever the decision would’ve been, we would’ve accepted it. But the fact that we were already informed on Monday helps a lot.

“Sometimes, these processes drag on until the Wednesday of the next week. We’re relieved we can choose an almost unchanged team.”

Focus on officiating has been placed squarely in the spotlight the past few weeks, prompting questions over the standard and consistency of decisions.

But Erasmus was reluctant to wade into that debate.

“As with all the other incidents, my opinion is irrelevant,” he said.

“I’m happy Horne is unscathed and Siya is available. I might say the wrong thing and get into trouble.

“Obviously, you’re not always going to agree with a decision, but as long as communication remains open and there’s clarity on why a decision has been made, one can live with it.”

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