World Rugby’s snub of Rassie is now beyond farcical

WORLD Rugby’s annual failure to recognise the Springboks’ global supremacy by acknowledging Rassie Erasmus as Coach of the Year is farcical.

- MIKE GREENAWAY

The manner in which the blazered denizens of the World Rugby boardroom go out of their way to give the award to anyone but Erasmus would be amusing if it weren't offensive.

Indeed, South Africans are sometimes accused of having a persecution complex, but this reminds me of the old saying: “Just because I’m paranoid, that doesn’t mean they're not out to get me”

This year, the award went to England Women’s coach John Mitchell. Mitch is a fine coach. He has my utmost respect for what he achieved with the All Blacks, the Lions, the Bulls, the Chiefs and the Western Force. But the much-travelled Kiwi has hardly had a harder job than coaching the England Women to World Cup success.

Firstly, they have almost no competition outside the Black Ferns, and secondly, they have enjoyed a culture of success stretching back decades.