'I will withdraw myself as part of the Springbok management' - Rassie Erasmus offers to step away from Lions series

Rassie Erasmus has offered to step away from the Springboks' management team for the final two test matches between the Springboks and the British & Irish Lions. Erasmus states this in an hour-long clip that includes 26 pieces of footage from the first test match which addresses issues such as him being the water carrier, officiating mistakes and instances where there was foul play by the Lions that weren’t penalised.

Erasmus explains the reasoning behind the video is because the Springboks felt that "things didn’t benefit us on the field from staying quiet” having done so before the first test.

After justifying his role as a water carrier, Erasmus said: “I think where things for us got cluttered and frustrating was when the Lions started moaning about officiating on the field.”

"We only asked three things - don’t let them depower us in scrums and mauls, give us the same respect as these guys on the field and we asked them [the officials] what areas they are concerned about,” Erasmus said in the video. 

"If you guys [World Rugby] request that I’m not involved further with this Test match, no problem. If you request that I’m not a water carrier, no problem. If you think this was going over the top and this shouldn’t go out to the media, then I did this in my personal capacity, not as part of the Springboks and I will withdraw myself as part of the Springbok management team," Erasmus said at the end of the video.

Full video: