“Rassie Erasmus Bullied Me”: Matt Williams Hits Back Over Springboks Feud

• Former Scotland coach Matt Williams has aimed criticism at Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus, reigniting a public feud between them
• The dispute traces back to Williams’ criticism of South Africa’s style of play during the 2021 Test series against the British & Irish Lions
• Erasmus hit back online, questioning Williams’ coaching record, sparking claims of bullying and personal attacks

Former Scotland coach and long-time Springboks critic Matt Williams has lashed out at Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus.

This is not the first time in recent weeks that tensions have flared between the two. The feud, which has gained public attention, began with Williams’ criticism of Erasmus and the Springboks’ style of play, particularly targeting the tactics used by both the Springboks and the British & Irish Lions during the 2021 Test series.

Williams, who has often voiced his concerns about South Africa’s playing style, spoke in an interview on Off The Ball, describing the 2021 tour to South Africa as an “abomination” and calling it one of the worst international rugby spectacles he had ever witnessed.

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“Let’s go back to South Africa. The South African tour was one of the worst tours ever, the worst games of international rugby I think I’ve ever seen,” said Williams.

“The way both management teams conducted themselves was disgraceful.”

Erasmus reacted with a clapback at Williams

Erasmus responded sharply, targeting Williams’ record as Scotland coach. On X, he posted a screenshot of a Google search highlighting Williams’ coaching statistics, which read:

“Matt Williams, the rugby union coach, had a 17.65% win percentage during his tenure coaching Scotland. He coached the team in 17 matches, winning only 3 of them. Two of those wins were against Tier 2 nations, Japan and Samoa, according to Wikipedia.”

The caption on Erasmus’ post read:

“Heal, Sir Matt.”

How did Williams respond to Erasmus's clapback?

Speaking for the first time after the online spat on the Off The Ball podcast, Williams described Erasmus’s response as bullying and said it failed to address the original criticism.

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“My son rang me up and said: ‘What did you say about Rassie Erasmus?’ I said to him: ‘I was talking about the Lions, what do you mean?’” Williams explained.

“He came out and put up some coaching percentages, and I don’t even know what I’ve done wrong.

See the tweet below:

“Well, really, what Rassie was doing was just bullying me, trying to say: ‘Well, your opinion doesn’t count.’ It didn’t address the issue.

Watch the clip below:

“Surely the best coach in the world has something better to do than listen to what I’m saying.”

Erasmus in contract talks with SARU

Briefly News previously reported that Rassie Erasmus is reportedly in negotiations with SA Rugby (SARU) over a potential contract extension beyond the 2027 Rugby World Cup.

His current deal is set to expire after the global showpiece, but Rapport reports that at least two overseas clubs are closely monitoring the situation and could make a move for the 58-year-old.

Source: Briefly News