Rassie Erasmus’ Hilarious Tweet Responds to Lood de Jager’s Four-Match Springbok Ban
In a characteristically witty response to a significant setback for the Springboks, director of rugby Rassie Erasmus has taken to social media after lock Lood de Jager received a four-match suspension. The ban effectively ends the 32-year-old’s international season.
Erasmus Names an Unlikely Replacement
Never one to shy away from a bit of mischief, Erasmus turned to the platform formerly known as Twitter to share his thoughts. While he didn’t explicitly comment on the severity of the suspension, he masterfully lightened the mood by proposing a creative, if not entirely serious, replacement for the world-class second-row forward.
His suggestion? The pint-sized President of SA Rugby, Mark Alexander. The post left fans wondering: would a five-centimeter height extension be enough to fill the considerable void left by de Jager?
De Jager’s Season Ends After Disciplinary Hearing
The suspension stems from an incident during South Africa’s clash with France on November 8, 2025. De Jager was shown a red card for an act of foul play, deemed to have made shoulder-to-head contact with French fullback Thomas Ramos.
An independent disciplinary committee, chaired by Jennifer Donovan of Ireland, upheld the red card. They determined that a mid-range entry point of six weeks was appropriate. However, after applying mitigating factors, the sanction was reduced to a four-match ban.
The suspension will cover the following fixtures:
• 15 November 2025: Italy vs South Africa, Autumn Nations Series
• 22 November 2025: Ireland vs South Africa, Autumn Nations Series
• 29 November 2025: Wales vs South Africa, Autumn Nations Series
• 14 December 2025: Wild Knights vs Toshiba Brave Lupus, Japan League One
De Jager has also been given permission to apply for World Rugby’s coaching intervention programme. This initiative, aimed at modifying specific techniques that contributed to the foul play, could allow him to substitute the final match of his sanction.
Springboks Regroup for Italy Challenge
As the team prepares for its next Autumn Nations Series match against Italy, assistant coach Tony Brown provided an update from the camp. Following the physically demanding encounter with France, recovery has been paramount.
“We have a lot of sore bodies, so recovery has been massive for us, but we have no injury concerns,” Brown confirmed. He also noted that the delayed team announcement was partly due to awaiting the outcome of de Jager’s hearing and managing general player fatigue.
With the ban confirmed, the Springbok coaching staff must now find a genuine on-field solution, moving beyond social media jest to address a genuine hole in their lineup for the crucial matches ahead.
Source credit: Original reporting from The South African.