‘Why did you pick Manie?’: Rassie irked by public scrutiny

Rassie Erasmus is reportedly annoyed at having to defend his Springbok squad selection to fans who approach him in public.

According to his twin daughters Carli and Nikki, Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus stopped going out in public after he was continuously questioned over his choices when it came to the squad.

In their first-ever interview, the young women opened up about their famous father, life in the spotlight, and their future goals.

RASSIE ERASMUS ANNOYED AT PUBLIC’S QUESTIONING

Speaking on the podcast Story Time with Joshua Eady, Carli, and Nikki opened up about being what life was like as Rassie Erasmus’s daughters.

And this has largely meant keeping a low profile in public.

Nikki said: “We’d go to Spur or a wine farm, and then all of a sudden, he wouldn’t like it. Because it wouldn’t be family time. It would be that everyone wanted to say ‘hi’ or have an opinion on why you picked that guy over that guy.

“That’s the first thing people come and say, like ‘Why did you pick Manie?’”.

Carli added that being Rassie’s daughters meant they also had to watch their public conduct.

She said: “The big shift was the World Cup. We had to understand that we need to adapt to this. It’s not going out as much; it’s staying at home and being together”.

“We also need to be careful of what we say. Because if we do something wrong, it’s not us doing it; it’s Rassie’s children doing it.”

NEW ADDITIONS TO SQUAD
Meanwhile, Rassie Erasmus had to make several last-minute substitutions to the Springboks squad due to injuries ahead of their November test series abroad.

This meant excluding veteran players Damian Willemse and Franse Malherbe, who were replaced by rookies Cameron Hanekom and Jordan Hendrikse, respectively.

Both players were called up to the Springbok squad this year.

The series will feature the following games…

10 November: Scotland vs SA (Murrayfield, Edinburgh)
16 November: England vs SA (Twickenham, London)
23 November: Wales vs SA (Principality Stadium, Cardiff)