(Reuters) - South Africa's under-fire director of rugby Rassie Erasmus will not travel to Australia where the Springboks continue their Rugby Championship campaign over fears his presence may cause a distraction as he prepares to face a World Rugby hearing.

Erasmus has been hit with various charges from World Rugby after the now infamous 62-minute video he created as a critique of Australian referee Nic Berry’s performance in the first test loss to the British & Irish Lions in Cape Town last month.