“This has been a highly stressful and charged environment
with unusual pressures placed on all concerned,” SA Rugby said on Thursday,
“and we have no wish to prolong that experience for anyone.”
Erasmus, South Africa’s director of rugby, was banned last
week for two months and barred from attending test matches in an official role
for 10 months after World Rugby found him guilty of misconduct.
The charges emanated from a 62-minute video that appeared
online in July in which Erasmus sat alone in a room facing a camera and blasted
Australian referee Nic Berry following the world champion’s loss to the Lions
in the first test.
By saying Erasmus and the national union “wish to apologize
to the match officials” involved, SA Rugby said they ”have drawn a line under
the incident and only wish to look forward.”
“We will respect the outcomes of the hearing, allowing our
national teams and rugby operations to plan with clarity for the coming
months,” the statement read.
World Rugby said it welcomed the public apology and
considered the case closed.
SA Rugby was also fined $27,000 by the governing body for
the incident. -AP
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