Rassie Erasmus’ behaviour this week has been appalling and brought the game into disrepute

The way Rassie Erasmus has behaved this week is appalling. I’m sick and tired of people bashing the guys in the middle. If you don’t have referees, you’re not going to get a game.

I’ve never seen anything like it. One of the core values of our game is respect for officials and Rassie has gone completely against that. In fact, he’s taken it to a whole new level.

Has the game been brought into disrepute? Absolutely. You can’t question Nic Berry’s character and integrity. It’s unacceptable. It’s just a ploy to distract attention from South Africa’s players and coaches. Nobody’s talking about how many kicks Handre Pollard missed now, are they? That’s what coaches do. It’s a cheap way to take the pressure off themselves.

Questioning referee Nic Berry’s (centre) integrity and character is unacceptable and a ploy

If the Springboks had taken their opportunities in that match, Rassie would not have been releasing a 62-minute video, I guarantee you.

Players, coaches and referees all make mistakes. They’re human. But Nic refereed the game well last week. You will always get debates over decisions in rugby because there are so many grey areas. It’s an imperfect science and so much comes down to interpretation. The referees will be aware of what’s been said this week.

It’s impossible to avoid the noise but it won’t affect their approach to the game. They’re professionals. I just hope it doesn’t happen again.

No-one is talking about how many kicks fly-half Handre Pollard (right) missed in the first Test