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South Africa assistant coach Mzwandile Stick claims the Springboks have been treated unfairly following red-card incidents in their wins over France and Italy.
Lood de Jager was handed a four-game suspension after being sent off for a high tackle on France full-back Thomas Ramos in Paris, while Mostert was given a straight red card for a shoulder-to-head challenge on Italy’s Paolo Garbisi in Turin last weekend.
Mostert faces a World Rugby disciplinary hearing this week, with Stick confirming the world champions have appealed against De Jager’s ban.
“Every week we are losing players and it’s sad,” Stick told reporters in Dublin before South Africa’s Test against Ireland on Saturday.
He added: “I don’t want to say things and then end up also being banned like Rassie [Erasmus, head coach] in the past.
“We’ve never talk 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.”
Stick also referenced recent bans for South Africa internationals Makazole Mapimpi and Jan-Hendrik Wessels while playing for Sharks and Bulls in the United Rugby Championship.
Winger Mapimpi received a five-week ban for a dangerous tackle on Ulster’s Michael Lowry on 18 October, while front-rower Wessels is serving an eight-game suspension – reduced from nine – for an alleged genital grab on Connacht’s Josh Murphy.
“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,” said Stick.
“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, which 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.
“Then for them they’re suspended, but other players will come back and play this week. Surely somewhere somehow, this is not fair.
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‘Rugby is a physical game’
Mostert was sent off in the 12th minute against Italy, a match South Africa won 32-14.
“If you look at the actions of Franco Mostert and Lood de Jager the previous week, he has done everything by the book,” added backs coach Stick, 41.
“His only mistake was just maybe the contact was here [chest] but it ended up in the head. I don’t understand how does that become 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.”
Stick also claimed the majority of the decisions against Italy did not go South Africa’s way.
“Probably about 21 decisions that were supposed to be made in the first half or probably the first 45 minutes, 20 of them went against us.
“Not because of the ref. Unfortunately he has to respect the comms from his team outside.
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