The Springboks keep winning and that in itself seems to serve as a protective shield for Erasmus – his behaviour and antics somehow deemed to be okay by officialdom as they serve the purpose of delivering the win.

And, certainly, the South African media have no interest in holding their super coach to account because he wins, he unites and he builds a narrative around nation-building that is much bigger than the ethics of how he does it all.

But World Rugby, as the custodians and managers of the international game, need to find the resolve to stand up to Erasmus and at least reprimand him for his use of an expletive in the post-match conference after the 33-26 second test win.

Given the litany of more serious misdemeanours that have been committed in the past few weeks, warning Erasmus about saying “f***ing” in a press conference may feel a little like getting Al Capone for tax avoidance, but there needs to be some demonstration of authority and some sense out of World Rugby that they are not willing to let one man become bigger than the game.

The crime sheet is reaching epic proportions and when it’s laid out, it makes quite the read. Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry is the premium event of the year and the world’s best referee, Nic Berry, can’t be involved because he has effectively been exiled from South Africa following Erasmus’ infamous hour-long video critique of the Australian official’s performance in the first test of the series between the Springboks and British and Irish Lions five years ago.

It is, the Herald understands, an open secret on the international circuit that the new protocol World Rugby has put in place whereby teams can only meet officials ahead of the game with the mutual consent of both coaches was introduced after the Boks coaching team started turning up to meetings en masse.

It is understood that many referees left feeling intimidated and so now both head coaches (and only them) have to be present to act as an effective deterrent to undesirable behaviours.

Before the first test, Boks assistant coach Felix Jones detailed supposed acts of foul play by the All Blacks in their tour games, while they also wheeled out their laws and discipline adviser Jaco Peyper, which felt a little like a North Korean military parade – a legitimate but sinister demonstration of power and intent.

Then ahead of the second test, there were the shenanigans with Erasmus naming the team on Monday that then changed significantly before kickoff.

Cheslin Kolbe, who was not named, ended up playing – replacing Kurt-Lee Arendse, who was not injured – and the entire front row was swapped an hour before the game.

This subterfuge feels paranoid – the sort of thinking that suggests Erasmus needs to sleep more and worry less – and that he needs to respect the spirit of the game.

All Blacks coach Dave Rennie has played the media at times too on this tour and everyone can accept and promote a bit of mind games as part of the theatre – a means to build the tension and strengthen narratives.

Erasmus has been one of the great actors in this grey space over the years, but now he seems to have lost sight of what constitutes good theatre.

He was playing Lex Luthor as a kind of pantomime villain, but now he’s taken him up to the executive suite of LexCorp and turned him into a darker, more conniving, proper baddie.

Perhaps the familiarity of winning has bred a little too much contempt for the establishment and its code of conduct.

Winning is often a breeder of hubris and Erasmus now betrays a touch of arrogance and perhaps a sense that he feels he can behave how he likes with impunity.

Changing his starting team the way he did was mischievous – suspect, even. Taken in isolation, it could credibly be seen as the late tactical rethink Erasmus said it was when the weather forecast was proven wrong – the rain didn’t come – and he felt he needed the lighter, more mobile front row to start on the dry ground.

However, the late change was not a one-off but another suspect act in a series of incidents that have ranged from being a little provocative to wildly unacceptable.

Taken as a whole, the picture is somewhat alarming and Erasmus, whether he is aware of it or not, is slowly becoming a pariah among his international peers – and yet he is proving that as an island, he can still thrive and live without interconnectivity to the wider rugby fraternity.

Gregor Paul is one of New Zealand’s most respected rugby writers and columnists. He has won multiple awards for journalism and written several books about sport.

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