When Rassie Erasmus’s remarkable video came to light during the British & Irish Lions tour of South Africa it was the height of summer in the UK. By the time World Rugby released its long overdue verdict this week, Christmas trees had already gone up and festive music has started playing on the radio. For an organisation that is supposed to be the guardian of the game, such a delay is unsatisfactory. To put into perspective just how crazy it is that it took four months to deliver, consider what would have happened had it been a player in the dock. If a player is deemed to have done something worthy of a disciplinary hearing in a match on a Saturday they would be sanctioned by the middle of the following week. Erasmus’s video came out shortly after the first Lions Test but World Rugby did not even bring disciplinary action until the second Test had taken place. A match, lest we forget where the first half lasted more than an hour, such was the apparent need of the officials to linger over every decision. Granted, the verdict this week was thorough, it was 80 pages long and included powerful testimony from the first Test referee, Nic Berry, but World Rugby does not help itself by waiting for so long before acting. The punishment handed down, on the face of it, seems to fit the crime. A 10-month ban from matchday activities means Erasmus will have to sit out Wales’s summer tour of South Africa next year as well as the Rugby Championship but I think there is a bit of misdirection with the two-month ban from all rugby activities. Saturday marks the end of South Africa’s season. Since the video came to light Erasmus was free to continue the rest of the Lions tour, the Rugby Championship – albeit he did so remotely – and the majority of their northern hemisphere tour, missing only one match. Again, to use the player comparison, I’d have probably been delighted to miss one match and a bit of pre-season if there was no trophy on the line and Erasmus has made his views on the matter clear on Twitter, supping on a pint of Guinness. In rugby union we often find ourselves craving consistency. But where is the consistency with Erasmus’s ban? Players are no longer given bans in weeks or months, it’s matches – because there are occasions where weeks or months can be meaningless. Why wasn’t Erasmus banned for a certain number of matches? In the short term, will South Africa be affected by Erasmus’ absence against England? Given the experience of their playing group I’d be surprised. I can’t speak for what works for the Springboks but I know as a player there was a time when you wanted the messaging from the coaches to stop. To have the freedom and responsibility to figure things out on the field. I don’t think it will affect Saturday’s match officials either but it may have a galvanising effect on the Springboks. There may be an extra point of motivation there, on top of the fact that they were snubbed for the World Rugby player and coach of the year awards. I wonder if Eddie Jones has recognised that and sought to create the narrative around South Africa claiming England were weak in the World Cup final. It actually reminds me of the buildup to that final and the importance of what is said and how it can motivate players. Having spoken to Siya Kolisi not long afterwards, I know that the hype around Tom Curry and Sam Underhill, particularly after their performance in the semi‑final against New Zealand, was a huge motivating factor for him. I remember John Mitchell talking about those two as being on a par with David Pocock, with Richie McCaw, and I think that lit a fire under Kolisi. I remember when I played against Scotland for England and all week Thom Evans was being talked about as the fastest winger in Europe. That really pissed me off and I knew that I couldn’t let him score in that match. I remember he made a break, I made a covering tackle – I’m not sure where I found the speed to get there but I think my extra motivation played a big part. Ultimately it is the messages in the dressing room that matter most for the players but that doesn’t mean that those made in public cannot make a difference. In many ways, it was what Erasmus was trying to do during the Lions tour – but clearly he wildly overstepped the mark in doing so – and I suspect it is what Jones has attempted to do before Saturday’s forwards battle.