SA Rugby Director of Rugby rassie erasmus has explained why he has become active on social media platforms.
Erasmus has been particularly vocal on Twitter of late, with his recent tweets highlighting the refereeing discrepancies that led to a two-match ban by World Rugby.
It wasn’t the first time Erasmus had run into trouble over social media posts, as his infamous video from the 2021 British & Irish Lions series was also leaked on mainstream social platforms.
In November last year, Erasmus was suspended from all rugby related activities for two months. He too served a match day ban until 30 September 2022.
On Wednesday night, Erasmus organized a “Lekka chat” on the Vimeo platform where he explained his position on social media.
He said one of the pillars of the Springboks’ “Stronger Together” campaign, which began with his Bok tenure in 2018, revolved around recognizing the power of social media.
“I was always against social media, once I thought it was the enemy,” Erasmus said Wednesday. “But I soon realized that giving the team media access is important so that the fans can have a better understanding of how we’re operating. You need to inform the fans and have that perspective. So, I realized what’s important What are the media?
“When it came to social media, I didn’t want to be a part of it, because it’s getting more and more complex. But you can’t stop family or friends from seeing what’s on those platforms. So, I also realized the power of social networks, for example, when it comes to team announcements, there are so many comments that [will inevitably] it finds its way to the coach or player it is targeting. So we need to stay in sync with social media and what’s being said, so we don’t find ourselves competing with public sentiment.
“So, I got on social media and started enjoying the engagement with the fans, and it helped me understand what was being said. It also helped me feel a lot closer to the fans and sometimes you post things in a personal way. … that can upset people, but that’s the way things are in life. But I’ve learned that some people also enjoy seeing a human side of you.”
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Erasmo concluded his talk by stating that he would happily organize future debates to ensure that the public remains well informed.
“I hope I’ve explained most of that and maybe we’ll do it again and I hope I didn’t say something that could get me in trouble again. Thanks for tuning in. Sorry that was 20 minutes and not 15. Maybe again next “. week, or if I see that there is a good compromise and this helps on some level, maybe a little bit later or earlier. Have a beautiful day. Thank you”.
