'This is not fair' - South Africa coach Mzwandile Stick claims unjust treatment after back-to-back red cards in Quilter Nations Series
Published 18/11/2025 at 19:33 GMT
Red card incidents in South Africa's victories against both Italy and France have left a resentful taste in the mouths of the Springbok coaching team, with assistant coach Mzwandile Stick claiming they have been treated unfairly. Franco Mostert was given a red card against Italy, and the weekend before saw Lood de Jager sent off. He has now been handed a four-game suspension.
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South Africa assistant coach Mzwandile Stick believes the Springboks have been unfairly treated after receiving red cards in back-to-back games in the Quilter Nations Series.
Franco Mostert was given a straight red card in the 12th minute of their 32-14 win over Italy, and the weekend before it was Lood de Jager, who has been handed a four-game suspension after being sent off for a high tackle on France's Thomas Ramos.
Stick confirmed that Mostert faces a mandatory World Rugby disciplinary hearing, and that South Africa have appealed De Jager's sanction.
"I think he's going to have a hearing tomorrow or Wednesday and also Lood de Jager is going through another appeal but yeah, as a team we are just disappointed with how things are flowing at the moment," Stick told reporters in Dublin.
"Every week we are losing players and it's sad.
"If you are saying that Franco Mostert is a red card probably over the weekend, if you saw the incidents surely there was supposed to be more than five red cards."
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He continued: "All of a sudden other situations become yellow cards and we are just disappointed with the way things are being handled at the moment.
"If you look at the actions of Franco Mostert and Lood de Jager the previous week, he has done everything by the book. His only mistake was just maybe the contact was here [chest] but it ended up in the head. I don't understand how that becomes a permanent red card.
"From our side as coaches, we still have to work hard because we're working with these guys.
"We can see that they’re nice and tall. They try to do everything by the book, but because rugby is a physical game, sometimes you don’t get it perfect.
"For them to say the tackle was 'never legal', it’s disappointing."
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'No mitigation' - Adams yellow upgraded to 20 minute red card during Wales against Japan
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The entire weekend saw yellow and red cards across numerous games, with Welsh winger Josh Adams receiving a red card, upgraded from a yellow.
Japan were also given two yellow cards at the Principality Stadium against Wales, causing an irate Eddie Jones to call the sin-bin situation "almost farcical."
Both England and New Zealand saw players head to the sin-bin, with Codie Taylor receiving a "particularly harsh" yellow, while Ben Earl was sent to the sidelines shortly after the 60th minute mark.
Stick also spoke about recent bans for South Africa internationals Makazole Mapimpi and Jan-Hendrik Wessels while playing for the Sharks and the Bulls in the United Rugby Championship.
Both received suspensions after actions during games with Irish provinces. Mapimpi is serving a five-week ban for a dangerous tackle on Ulster's Michael Lowery, and Wessels has an eight-game suspension - reduced from nine - for an alleged genital grab on Connacht's Josh Murphy.
"I don’t want to say things and then end up also being banned like Rassie [Erasmus] in the past," Stick said.
"If you look at the past four red cards with our players. We had Makazole Mapimpi suspended, who is not on tour at the moment.
"The guy is on 47 test matches, missed out on a tour to make it to the 50th.
"Jan-Hendrik Wessels, a youngster, also missed out. Suspended.
"Lood de Jager... I feel after this weekend and everything that I’ve seen, even the Fiji and the France game, the clean-outs that were there, the Ireland game against Australia, situations that were even worse than what those guys have been suspended for."
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Highlights: Springboks fight back from another red card to outclass Italy in epic
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Italy's Lorenzo Cannone escaped a red card for a dangerous tackle of his own against South Africa, but made an attempt to wrap his arms unlike Mostert, and avoided his yellow being upgraded to a red.
"Then for them they’re suspended, but other players will come back and play this week," Stick continued. "Surely, somewhere, somehow, this is not fair. I don’t think we deserve this as a team.
"We’re doing everything in our powers to make sure that we send the right message when it comes to how we play the game.
"We’ve never talked bad about other teams. We always try and play in a good spirit, and hopefully things can just be between the four lines.
"Are we treated fairly? I don’t think so."
Ireland will welcome the infuriated Springboks to Dublin this weekend, where the Aviva Stadium will play host to an intense and physical clash, live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
They last faced off on South African soil last year, winning one Test each, 10 months after Ireland beat the Boks 13-8 in the group stage of the 2023 World Cup.
Watch and stream every game of the Quilter Nations Series live on TNT Sports and discovery+
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