Colin Sheridan: Rassie heads off on his own little Erasmus

Rassie Erasmus: Taking a forced break from the game. Picture: INPHO/Morgan Treacy

Mon, 22 Nov, 2021 - 06:05

Colin Sheridan is a writer and columnist. A former officer in the Irish Defence Forces he has extensive deployment experience as a peacekeeper with the United Nations, having lived and worked in the former Yugoslavia, West Africa, Afghanistan, Lebanon and Palestine.

In his almost 50 years on the planet, Johan ‘Rassie’ Erasmus has achieved a lot.

You would think guiding his beloved South Africa to victory over England in the 2019 Rugby World Cup would be the pinnacle, but it’s not even close. His self-immolation last summer in the form of his now infamous video release as a Lions series hung in the balance, was one of the greatest acts of sporting sacrifice since Roy Keane gave us One Night in Turin.