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Erasmus' latest Twitter mess is maybe the most shocking yet

By Ian Cameron
Head coach Rassie Erasmus looks on during the South Africa Springboks training session held at Western Province HPC on July 19, 2021 in Bellville, South Africa. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

Springboks director of rugby Rassie Erasmus has been left red-faced this morning after his Twitter account retweeted explicit content after it was apparently hacked.

Erasmus' Twitter handle retweeted a video of a man and a woman engaged in a sexual act. Despite the revered coach getting back control of the account, the video in question, which is too graphic to post here, remains retweeted.

Erasmus took to Twitter to explain what was happening to his 90,000 followers.

"Sorry guys about that inappropriate [sic] tweets!! The handle has been hacked!! Reallly [sic] sorry about that!! I am trying to sort it out !!! Rassie."

"Guys the hackers still seem to have the retweet from earlier appearing in some places although it has been deleted on my side and reported. Hopefully my account will be sorted shortly. Rassie"

The nature of the video has given mischief-makers plenty of material to poke fun at the eccentric coach, with a veritable cavalcade of puns being left in the comments section.

It's the latest social media gaffe for the South African Rugby World Cup winner. The 49-year-old was previously accused of using a burner account to post videos relating to Springboks' rugby, and an account in which he had a dialogue for several months.

Erasmus denied that he was the  'Jaco Johan' account, even though the it appeared to highlight refereeing issues that were favourable to the Springboks' agenda. In the wake of South Africa’s defeat to the British & Irish Lions in the first Test last year, Erasmus retweeted a video from the account that compiled a video of calls that went against the South Africa, replying to the account saying: “Thanks. This is rugby – sometimes calls go for you and other times they don’t”.

Other users of the social media platform began speculating that the account sharing the video was Erasmus himself, using a burner account to air out his grievances and pretending to have a conversation with himself.

Following his tour and coaching ban for the now-infamous publication of a 62-minute long video criticizing referee Nic Berry and his fellow officials, Erasmus filmed a number of entertaining videos, with thinly veiled references to his ban and to England rugby.

Say what you like, but his account is nothing if not entertaining.