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Kolisi on RassieGate: 'I hope something positive comes out of it'

SPOTLIGHT: With a big clash at Twickenham looming, Springbok captain Siya Kolisi was again asked for his opinion on the whole Rassie Erasmus saga.

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South Africa’s Director of Rugby has dominated headlines over the last week after he received his latest ban from World Rugby.

The 50-year-old got a two-game matchday ban last week following his criticism on social media of refereeing decisions during the ongoing year-end Tests.

In the aftermath, Kolisi was asked to answer questions on the matter ahead of the Italy Test and he was asked to do so again on Friday by English media.

“I actually don’t want to talk about it because it is a very sensitive thing,” said Kolisi.

“Anything I say could be written the wrong way, but we are learning as we are going and hopefully, we will reach a point where both parties are happy and it is spoken about going forward.

“I just hope it gets resolved.

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“We are all part of the rugby family. Families still fight and don’t see eye to eye at times, but we are all invested in rugby and hopefully we can learn from these things and move forward together much stronger than before.

“You can always use difficult periods.

“You can always use adversity and hopefully something great comes out of it with better solutions from coaches, Directors and World Rugby.

“I really hope from the bottom of my heart something positive comes out of it because at the moment it is not good for rugby in general.”

A big rivalry

Meanwhile, on Saturday’s game, Kolisi is expecting another intriguing chapter in one of rugby’s greatest rivalries.

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“The rivalry goes way back and when you see the game on the calendar it gets you excited because it is hard to win here [Twickenham].

“It is a stadium with a rich history and a lot of people who played [the game] never got an opportunity to play here or win.

“I have never won at Twickenham before.

“Both teams are going to give it everything in a packed stadium so I am really looking forward to it and the boys are really looking forward to it.

“There is never a dull moment in these games.”

@rugby365com

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