Mallett fires up Rassie as national director of rugby

Nick Mallett has added some mongrel to SuperSport’s Final Whistle rugby analysis show. But this is not to be confused with malice.

Equally, his criticism of Rassie Erasmus as the national director of rugby on the latest edition of the show was devoid of malice but delivered in typical Mallett mongrel style.

Mallett questioned Erasmus’s role as director of rugby.

His voice boomed, which is why I tune into the show.

What differentiates  him is that he is Nick Mallett. He has big opinions and they are ones I want to hear as a rugby enthusiast and also as a rugby reporter.

Please keep those opinions coming Nick. They’re educational and they also add to the discussion and debate that should always be a part of South African rugby.

I know from personal experience how blinkered and defensive one can get  from being too close to the action. Defence is the first point of attack, and I felt Erasmus’s early morning Twitter rant in response to Mallett’s criticism of his role as director was delivered very defensively.

Equally, I found it educational because of what Erasmus had to say about all the respective national programmes he had put in place at SA Rugby. But he picked the wrong forum and time to respond.

For those of you who may have missed it all, Mallett had said Erasmus needed to do his job as director of rugby and he highlighted aspects he felt were areas of responsibility that belonged to Erasmus.

This prompted a social media response from Erasmus, when a phone call would have been more appropriate. Erasmus could have said the same things to Mallett over a chat.

Erasmus’s social media retort does not add to the storytelling. It detracts from it. It comes across as whinging more than winning

I reckon it would also have been far more constructive because Mallett — a former Springbok player and coach who won the Tri Nations in 1998 and 17 Tests in succession — would have been able to absorb the information, but also challenge certain things  as one director of rugby to another and one former Bok coach to another.

Mallett was not talking about the Springboks but about SA Rugby when he questioned why we still operate 14 provinces, when in the professional age there should only be four, as  in the successful model implemented in Irish rugby.

Ireland were for years among the chasing pack in world rugby. They are now the leaders on how to maximise provincial resources and this has taken the national team to No 1 in the world rankings, which included a first away series win against the All Blacks in New Zealand in 2022.

Erasmus said his primary responsibility was the Springboks, but that should be Jacques Nienaber talking. He is the Bok coach and previously Erasmus’s assistant at the Cheetahs, Stormers, WP, Munster and the Springboks.

Erasmus was the Bok coach when he gloriously masterminded a World Cup-winning campaign in 2019. 

His retort to Mallett was spoken as if he remains the Bok coach. The two roles were separated on Nienaber’s appointment and when Mallett spoke out on Erasmus failing, it was in his role as director of rugby.

Mallett was not speaking to Erasmus as the Bok coach. Erasmus then listed several examples of what he is doing as director, but those are stories that should have been told and should be told regularly and consistently through the national communications department.

They, with their communication, should be showcasing all that is good in what is being done. It is telling the story of the many inspiring things happening in SA Rugby.

Rassie’s social media retort does not add to the storytelling. It detracts from it. It comes across as whinging more than winning. A breakfast with Mallett or a workshop with his coms team would have been far more informative, educational and effective.

• Mark Keohane is the founder of keo.co.za, a multiple award-winning sports writer and the digital content director at Highbury Media. Twitter: @mark_keohane