Rassie Erasmus addresses Mathieu Raynal in surprising 7-word tweet

South African rugby director Rassie Erasmus took to Twitter for a second time on Saturday to express his apparent appreciation for the refereeing of Matthieu Raynal following the Springboks' loss to the All Blacks in the Rugby Championship at Mount Smart Stadium.

Despite the painful 35-20 defeat, Erasmus seems to have acknowledged the positive role played by the French referee in the match.

Known for sharing his opinions openly on social media, especially when it comes to discussing match officiating, Erasmus didn't shy away from commending Raynal's performance on the field. In the past, the South African rugby boss has used Twitter as a platform to critique refereeing decisions, which has occasionally led to controversy and a number of bans.

One such instance was after the match between France and the Springboks last November, where Erasmus posted numerous videos questioning the decisions made by referee Wayne Barnes. He also imfamously criticized referee Nic Berry's performance in a test match between the Springboks and the British and Irish Lions in 2021.

Both incidents lead to suspensions.

However, this time around, Erasmus adopted a different tone by genuinely praising Raynal's handling of the game - or in the very least not criticising it.

"His performance was much better than ours," wrote Erasmus in a quote tweet about the performance of Raynal. While Erasmus has used a sarcastic tone in the past, this time it appears to be a genuine sentiment.

Most people on Twitter took it at face value after an earlier tweet blamed the loss on the himself and his fellowing coaching ticket. While some thought the post was genuine, others reacted as if he was again deploying irony.

Don't blame the ref for your poor team selection.. Guys like Mbonambi, Malherbe, de Jager, Wiese, de Allende, Mapimpi, Faf are all has been's.. How can you bench the best hooker in the world and bring on the best players in the second half trailing by 15 points.. Open your eyes

— Arno Becker (@ArnoBecker13) July 15, 2023

"Don't blame the ref for your poor team selection.. Guys like Mbonambi, Malherbe, de Jager, Wiese, de Allende, Mapimpi, Faf are all has been's.. How can you bench the best hooker in the world and bring on the best players in the second half trailing by 15 points.. Open your eyes," wrote one Springbok fan.