Rassie's latest tweet raises eyebrows

SPOTLIGHT: Rassie Erasmus' latest social media post could be interpreted as a subtle dig at World Rugby.

The Director of Rugby will be facing a World Rugby disciplinary panel over a 62-minute video rant that was spread on social media in the aftermath of the first Test against the British & Irish Lions.

In the video, Erasmus criticised referee Nic Berry and his officials.

South Africa lost that first Test 17-22 before winning the next two matches to win the series 2-1.

Now it seems Erasmus has thrown a new barb at his critics and by extension World Rugby, one that is hidden in a fable.

Erasmus tweeted: "This one even my youngest one is finally beginning to understand. So Lekka."

The fable that Erasmus tweeted ended with the following lines:

"The worst waste of time is arguing with the fool and fanatic who does not care about truth or reality, but only the victory of his beliefs and illusions.

"Never waste time on discussions that make no sense … There are people who, no matter how much evidence we present to them, are not in the capacity to understand, and others who are blinded by ego, hatred and resentment, and the only thing that they want is to be right even if they are not.

“When ignorance screams, intelligence is silent. Your peace and quiet are worth more."

Last week World Rugby confirmed that Erasmus and SA Rugby would be going before a disciplinary panel.

"Match officials are the backbone of the sport, and without them there is no game. World Rugby condemns any public criticism of their selection, performance or integrity which undermines their role, the well-established and trust-based coach-officials feedback process, and more importantly, the values that are at the heart of the sport," said a statement from World Rugby.

"Having conducted a full review of all the available information, World Rugby is concerned that individuals from both teams have commented on the selection and/or performance of match officials.

"However, the extensive and direct nature of the comments made by Rassie Erasmus within a video address, in particular, meets the threshold to be considered a breach of World Rugby Regulation 18 [Misconduct and Code of Conduct] and will now be considered by an independent disciplinary panel."