South Africans tend to live their best lives in December. “That’s January’s worries …” is one of our favourite things to say around the braai when the kids remind us about that stationary list.
When we eventually take that list, we’re shocked that it has a page two. Now, it's panic stations, we have to go to the bank or an uncle or aunty to borrow money because a few tubes of pritt is now the same price as two six packs of beer.
That’s also how it used to be when it came to the Springboks’ succession planning before Rassie Erasmus took over in 2018. There was no succession planning for coaches or a long-term plan for players.
The period between 2007 and 2010 was the Springboks’ ‘Dezemba’, with a Rugby World Cup win in 2007 followed up by a British and Irish Lions triumph and a Tri-Nations win 2009. But after that ‘Januworry’ lasted almost a decade.
Ageing Springbok teams failed to win the World Cup in 2011 and 2015, because succession planning had to take a backseat for immediate results.
But that changed when Erasmus took over, knowing that he had to rebuild Springboks to target the 2023 Rugby World Cup. However, he managed to do the business in 2019 before following it up with the win in France four years later.
Now, operation 2027 Rugby World Cup is in full swing, with Erasmus bringing through youngsters to gain experience, while also managing the older star by not playing them into the ground.
Erasmus knows time waits for no man, and even this core group of the golden generation of Springbok superstars will one day have to be put to pasture.
But what about Erasmus himself and the Springbok coaching position? Yes, life after Rassie Erasmus may be the post December hangover South African rugby fans are dreading. The rugby equivalent of “Januworry”.
Erasmus' current contract runs out after the 2027 World Cup in Australia. By that time he would have been directly involved with the Springboks for nine years, after serving as director of rugby when his good friend Jacques Nienaber was head coach between 2020 and 2023.
Will Erasmus continue after 2027? Only he would know at this point. Erasmus will be the longest serving Bok coach by the time the next World Cup arrives. A long time to be in the second-most scrutinised job in the country behind the actual president of the country.
The Springboks have consumed his life over the last seven years. It’s been a steely focus to get the Boks back where they belong. And you can see it’s taken a toll on him, and could have even been the cause of his divorce.
But Erasmus almost seems irreplaceable as Springboks coach, not only because of the success of the team over the last seven years, but the culture of unity he has built around the team, which all South Africans have embraced.
The “genius of Rasssie”
His planning and ability to think outside of the box are well known, but it’s his man-management that also plays a massive part in how he gets the best out of his players. He also brought that never-say-die mentality that helped them win the World Cup with three successive one-point defeats.
Handre Pollard recently gave us insight into Erasmus’ management style, and debunked a few myths.
“It’s not militaristic, bash-you-down to keep you humble. It’s not that at all. It’s a real art. That’s what makes him so good. That’s why there’s not a lot of complacency in our group,” Pollard said on a podcast.
“The first thing he ever spoke about was entitlement. That’s the first thing that breaks a group up, if senior guys think they are important.
“That was way back when we started and it’s still something we live by. The influence that the older guys have on a group is so big. We’ve got a very different experience from our younger days to what we are giving the youngsters now. It’s different eras.
Opened doors and united a country
Transformation was never properly addressed at the Springboks’ level before 2018, with the Springboks playing the odd wing or two as the only player/s of colour in the team for a long time.
But when Erasmus was appointed coach of the Springboks, he addressed the rather large elephant in the room. He tackled transformation head-on, adding it to his priorities as part of the Springboks’ re-build.
But Erasmus changed the game with his openness and honesty. He speaks about transformation not as a burden, but as an opportunity to unlock the rugby-playing potential that more than 80% of the population has to offer.
Now Springbok teams run onto the park without the scrutiny of race, with all players getting an equal chance to shine and play for their country.
Who is likely to take over from Erasmus?
With everything mentioned above, it looks like Erasmus’ follow-up act is on for a hiding to nothing. It’s going to be like Vanilla Ice following up Snoop Dogg at a hip-hop concert.
But knowing Erasmus, that succession plan may already be in place, just like with the new generation of players coming through.
Nienaber is set to return to the country in 2026 following his stint with Leinster in Ireland, and he could well take over in 2028. There are also Erasmus’ assistants Deon Davids and Mzwandile Stick, who were also awarded new contracts a few years ago.
It’s unlikely that we are going to see anyone from outside the country coach the Springboks, with New Zealander John Plumtree being the exception because he has coached in the county for such a long time.
The Stormers’ John Dobson also springs to mind as a viable candidate, because he has similar traits in terms of man-management.
But all this is with the assumption that Erasmus will leave the job after the World Cup. He may decide to stay and he would be entitled to do after all that he has achieved as the man in charge of the Springboks.
But one day, the golden summer under Erasmus will come to an end. Hopefully SA Rugby will have their umbrellas ready for that eventuality.
@JohnGoliath82