The Springboks team management, including Rassie Erasmus, left South Africa in the dark regarding the reasons why they shaved their heads after the World Cup triumph in a series of matches against New Zealand, which ended with a 3-1 victory in the greatest rugby rivalry.
After Springboks defeated the All Blacks 43-28 in the fourth and final test match in Baltimore on Saturday, Erasmus first posted a photo with scrum coach Dan Human, both men having freshly shaved heads.
The Springboks coach added the cryptic caption: 'the bet prize.' This sparked a wave of speculation.
Three hours later, another photo appeared on social media, featuring the entire Springboks management team with shaved heads, including media manager Zien Isaacs.
Erasmus captioned this post with the phrase 'reëls is reëls,' which means 'rules are rules' in Afrikaans. It quickly became clear that regardless of what the bet was, the entire management team had to pay for it.
Naturally, South African fans demanded explanations. Questions arose: was this a bet on Springboks winning three consecutive matches? Was it related to the team maintaining first place in the rankings? Or was it simply a way for Erasmus to celebrate a worthy victory as the World Cup captain?
Theories multiplied, but Erasmus and his management team remained silent. Even captain Siya Kolisi joined this 'bald revolution,' posting a picture of himself with a shaved head next to Erasmus after the thrilling victory. Kolisi captioned his post: 'Special day for the boss @rasrugby 100 up 🙏🏾❤️ Danko coach, iyabulela ilali 🇿🇦 #bleskop'.
It remains unknown whether Kolisi participated in the original bet or simply decided to join the celebration. For now, Erasmus and his leadership are keeping their cards close to their chest, leaving South Africa with yet another question after the historic series victory: what exactly was bet?