Springboks assistant coach Mzwandile Stick has made it clear the South Africans are feeling victimised by what they claim is inconsistent and unfair officiating after a second red card on the side’s northern hemisphere tour.
Speaking at a media conference in Dublin ahead of Saturday’s Test against Ireland, Stick said the accumulation of contentious decisions had left the Springboks feeling “disappointed” and “unfairly treated.”
Franco Mostert’s early red card against Italy last weekend was the latest in a run of disciplinary setbacks, following similar incidents involving Lood de Jager, Jasper Wiese and Makazole Mapimpi earlier in the season.
Jan-Henrik Wessels is also unavailable for the tour after receiving a suspension Stick described as “bizarre,” given the lack of clear evidence in the Bulls’ match against Connacht.
Mostert will front a disciplinary hearing this week, and De Jager has already appealed the four-match ban he received in the previous round.
“As a team, we are just disappointed with how things are flowing at the moment. We are losing players every week,” Stick said. “The build-up to the Italy game was good, the vibe in Turin was excellent, but the match changed early when Franco was sent off.”
Stick said the Springboks felt the recent red cards did not reflect the reality of the incidents.
“If you look at the actions of Franco and Lood the previous week, they did everything by the book,” he said.
“With Franco, there was probably contact on the shoulder that moved to the head, but I don’t understand how it becomes a permanent red card. Rugby is a physical game and sometimes things aren’t perfect, but for them to say the tackle was never legal was disappointing. I think we are being treated unfairly.”
Stick also suggested the on-field referee was placed in a difficult position due to the input from the wider officiating team.
“We understood the communication happening between him and his team. He has to respect that communication. There were about 21 decisions that were supposed to be made in the first half, and 20 went against us,” he said.
The assistant coach pointed to other weekend fixtures as further evidence of inconsistency.
“If you are going to say that Franco deserved a red card, then there were more than five other reds that should have happened. And several more yellow cards, too,” Stick said. “Looking at the Fiji–France game and the cleanouts there, and the Ireland–Australia situations, some of those were even worse than what our guys have been suspended for.”
He said the differing outcomes for players in similar scenarios was difficult to accept.
“Our guys are suspended, but other players will play again this week. Surely somewhere this is not fair. I don’t think we deserve this as a team.”
Stick concluded with a direct question: “Are we treated fairly? I don’t think so.”
The Roarhttps://www.theroar.com.au/2025/11/18/we-dont-deserve-this-springboks-coach-claims-unfair-treatment-as-red-card-fury-grow/‘We don’t deserve this’: Springboks coach claims unfair treatment as red-card fury grow
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