The Return of Rassie Erasmus to South African Rugby

Springbok Rugby

The return of Rassie Erasmus to South African rugby as Director of Rugby was announced back in June 2017. As time passed by, it became evident that he would also be taking over the reigns of the Springbok Head Coach as well. This was finally announced during a press conference on 1 March 2018.

Rassie Erasmus returns to South African rugby

Ryan Jordan takes a look at some of the key role players in the new coaching set up. This includes Head Coach Rassie Erasmus, as well as his assistants Jaques Nienaber, Pieter de Villiers, Mzwandile Stick and Aled Walters.

 

Rassie Erasmus – Head Coach
The 36 Test Springbok has built up a strong coaching career after his playing days were over. He served a successful tenure at the Cheetahs, tasting success at Currie Cup level. Few will forget the days of Rassie Erasmus sitting atop the roof of the Free State Stadium with his coloured paddles. He added to his career by taking the reigns at Irish side Munster in the then PRO12 competition. He was awarded the PRO12 Coach of the Year award in the 2016/2017 season.

We can expect a lot of experimentation and innovation from Erasmus and some of this may already have started. First of all, a team with player depth needs to be developed for the 2019 Rugby World Cup. This cannot be based on the abysmal 2016 and 2017 seasons under former Head Coach Allister Coetzee. Springbok and Emirates Lions lock Franco Mostert has been chosen at blindside flank for the Lions Super Rugby match against the Vodacom Bulls on Saturday, apparently at Erasmus’ request. It is further rumoured that Bulls lock RG Snyman has been identified to make the same move from lock to blindside flank. This seems to be a move to follow All Blacks coach Steve Hansen, in selecting a lock on the blindside flank to bulk up the pack with a big ball carrier who is also a viable lineout option.

SA Rugby has made a bold call and have signed Rassie Erasmus until the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France. This breaks their mould of signing a coach from Rugby World Cup to Rugby World Cup. The positive here is continuity, which has not been a guarantee in the past.

What we can expect from Rassie Erasmus will be the unexpected.

Jacques Nienaber – Assistant Coach, The Defence Guru

Nienaber has been Erasmus’ wingman just about throughout his entire career, joining up with him wherever he has coached. He brings with him significant defensive understanding and the Springboks will have a lot more direction in this area than in previous years.

We can expect Nienaber to make a significant difference to the Springboks defensive structure.

Pieter de Villiers – Assistant Coach, Scrum and Forwards

This would be the Pieter de Villiers of 68 Tests for France fame and not the enigmatic former Springbok coach Peter de Villiers who recently signed to become Head Coach of Zimbabwe.

We can expect a significant contribution from De Villiers. He has been fulfilling this role for a number of years and has the playing credentials to back this up.

Aled Walters – The Fitness Guy

The fitness guy is very much an understatement. Walters has significant experience around the world, from New Zealand to Australia and then to Ireland and Munster under Erasmus. There are very many rugby fitness experts around. For Rassie Erasmus to consider Walters as worthy of enticing to move away from Munster indicates that he has seen something special there.

We can expect Walters to be a hard task master who keeps the players in top shape.

 Mzwandile “Michael” Stick – The Skills Guy

Forget Stick’s first attempt at international rugby coaching, when he was roped in as Springbok attack coach in Allister Coetzee’s first catastrophic year as Springbok coach. “Sticky” now finds himself in a position he is far more suited to.

We can expect Stick to make a solid contribution by applying his acknowledged Sevens skills to further develop the Springboks skills abilities.

The Conclusion

There are no guarantees in rugby. Appointing a new Head Coach does not guarantee success, but appointing one with a record of doing things differently and winning trophies helps. He cannot stop a wholesale player drain, but he can make players think about hanging around in the hope of landing a national contract.

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