Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus insists his thumbs-up gesture after the win in Dublin was not about taunting the Irish.
Erasmusā celebration at the final whistle on Saturday night was shown on TV and immediately sparked debate that Erasmus was giving it to Irish fans. But the Bok mentor says he only has love and respect for the Irish.
Asked about it post-match, he said: āNo, there were South Africans sitting in front of us and saying āthank youā, and I said āThank you, back to himā.ā
He said of the coachās box at the Aviva Stadium: āI remember even when I coached Munster here, the coachās box is like soundproof. You canāt really get the vibe of whatās going on on the field and you get it through the refereeās mike, more or less.
āThis is a special stadium. The crowd is special. You know, theyāve got manners when a player takes a kick. I love the way with the pre-match with the military band. Iām glad they gave RG [Snyman] here a bit of a welcoming when he ran onto the field.
āSo, no, it was a thank you to our people and, you know, weāve got a respect for the way the Irish people support their team.ā
MORE: Bok scrum a thing of beauty in Rassieās eyes
Erasmus quipped about the strength of the euro versus the rand.
āFor our people to still to come out here ā¦ You could still hear them, it was just a thank youā.
Shithouse
#IREvRSA pic.twitter.com/LHTo2kQxw3
ā Riaan Louw (@Ringo26) November 22, 2025
The post Rassie explains post-match thumbs-up appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.