Jones calls for swift action over Erasmus proceedings
England coach feels SA rugby boss’s criticism of refs in video showed disrespect and could have been aired differently
07 September 2021 - 18:50
byHritika Sharma
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England head coach Eddie Jones has urged World Rugby to conclude its disciplinary process against SA rugby director Rassie Erasmus quicker to set an example to the game.
Erasmus made an hour-long video critique of the match officials after the Springboks’ loss against the British & Irish Lions in the series opener in July.
World Rugby said in August that Erasmus and SA Rugby would face a misconduct hearing for the remarks, but the governing body is yet to set a date for the proceedings.
“It should be dealt with quickly,” Jones told BBC Radio 5 Live. “We need to make sure that we have respect in the game because we are asking kids to be respectful to the referee, and if they see examples of players or coaches being disrespectful to the referee it gives them an excuse to do it at their level.”
Jones added that he believes there is room for improvement in the standard of officiating, particularly in terms of communication between referees and their assistants, and their rulings around the breakdown.
“There are some issues in the game we need to look at very carefully and I think one of them is the diligence of the referees to referee the important part of the game well,” Jones said.
“Rassie made his famous video and I don’t think that is correct, but we need to make sure the referees work as a three a lot harder than they do at the moment to ensure that we get what we need to get, which is a fair contest between contest and continuity.
“But there is an appropriate way to do it and that is being respectful to the referee.”
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Jones calls for swift action over Erasmus proceedings
England coach feels SA rugby boss’s criticism of refs in video showed disrespect and could have been aired differently
England head coach Eddie Jones has urged World Rugby to conclude its disciplinary process against SA rugby director Rassie Erasmus quicker to set an example to the game.
Erasmus made an hour-long video critique of the match officials after the Springboks’ loss against the British & Irish Lions in the series opener in July.
World Rugby said in August that Erasmus and SA Rugby would face a misconduct hearing for the remarks, but the governing body is yet to set a date for the proceedings.
“It should be dealt with quickly,” Jones told BBC Radio 5 Live. “We need to make sure that we have respect in the game because we are asking kids to be respectful to the referee, and if they see examples of players or coaches being disrespectful to the referee it gives them an excuse to do it at their level.”
Jones added that he believes there is room for improvement in the standard of officiating, particularly in terms of communication between referees and their assistants, and their rulings around the breakdown.
“There are some issues in the game we need to look at very carefully and I think one of them is the diligence of the referees to referee the important part of the game well,” Jones said.
“Rassie made his famous video and I don’t think that is correct, but we need to make sure the referees work as a three a lot harder than they do at the moment to ensure that we get what we need to get, which is a fair contest between contest and continuity.
“But there is an appropriate way to do it and that is being respectful to the referee.”
Reuters
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