Rassie enjoys final dig at England with days remaining on ban
By Rugby Onslaught

Rassie enjoys final dig at England with days remaining on ban

When Rassie Erasmus guided South Africa to World Cup glory against England in 2019, very few people would have thought that two years later his battle with England would still be ongoing, only this time on Twitter with the help of his dog.

The South African’s dog has been one of his main accomplices as he has served his two month ban from all forms of rugby, used as a way to abuse England. The dog, Frank, is an English Bulldog, but seems to take offence to being called English. Well, Erasmus shared a photo today confirming his dog has gained South African citizenship in a rugby story that perfectly reflects the bizarre world we are living in.

However, the former Springboks flanker was not content with simply sharing a photo of his dog’s identity card. No, it was resting on a ‘World Champions’ rugby ball with 32-12 scoreline of the 2019 final emblazoned on it.

Erasmus’s ban from all rugby activity is due to end on Saturday, and he has certainly given the impression that he has enjoyed himself during that period. Twitter will be a poorer place now he returns to his day job. However, he is still suspended from all match-day activities, including coaching and media engagement, until September 30, 2022, so that may not be the end of his life as a social media personality.

Erasmus and South Africa Rugby were set to appeal this ban in November, but swiftly made a u-turn, saying: “SA Rugby and Rassie Erasmus wish to apologise to the match officials appointed to the first Test of the Springboks’ Series against the British & Irish Lions.

“We also confirm that SA Rugby and Erasmus have advised World Rugby that they withdraw their Notice of Appeal and will not lodge an appeal against the sanctions imposed by the Judicial Committee.

“This has been a highly stressful and charged environment with unusual pressures placed on all concerned and we have no wish to prolong that experience for anyone.

“We have drawn a line under the incident and only wish to look forward. We will respect the outcomes of the hearing, allowing our national teams and rugby operations to plan with clarity for the coming months.”

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