It’s soon to be ‘Doc Rassie’: Bok boss to be awarded honorary doctorate

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus is to be awarded an honorary doctorate by the North-West University for his contribution to rugby.

Erasmus led the Boks to World Cup glory in Japan in 2019 as head coach and four years later, in 2023 while director of rugby at SA Rugby, helped Jacques Nienaber guide the team to victory in France.

Under Erasmus the Boks won back-to-back World Cups, in the process becoming the first team to win four World Cups – in 1995, 2007, 2019 and 2023.

The former Bok flanker just recently held the year’s first alignment camp in Cape Town where 43 players and the coaching team plotted the way forward for the world champions.

The NWU Council approved the decision to award Erasmus with a doctorate during their ordinary meeting in November last year.

‘Strong drive and focus on diversity’

The request for the awarding of the degree Philosophiae Doctor (Honoris Causa), the discipline Coaching Science, was made by the NWU’s Faculty of Health Sciences.

“The doctorate will be bestowed on the Bok boss in recognition of his innovative and exceptional management of the Springboks during their victorious 2019 and 2023 Rugby World Cup campaigns, his significant standing in the international rugby coaching arena, his strong drive and focus on diversity and inclusion and his commitment to social responsibility,” the university said in a statement.

They continued to say Erasmus has shown himself to be a nation builder of whom the country can be proud.

“Rassie embodies the principles of resilience, determination and team work that we at the North-West University hold dear in our educational mission. His contributions to South Africa, both as a rugby strategist and as a nation builder, serve as a shining example of what can be achieved when passion, dedication and visionary leadership come together,” said Bert Sorgdrager, council chairperson.

“His commitment to inclusivity and transformation in sport has not only revitalised rugby but has served as a powerful symbol of reconciliation and unity in a nation with a complex history. Under his guidance, the Springboks not only achieved rugby greatness, but also became a unifying force, bringing together people of all backgrounds and beliefs.”

Erasmus on Thursday accepted the honour to be bestowed upon him. The ceremony is due to take place on the Potchefstroom campus of the NWU during the coming months.