SA Rugby’s Bok intentions clear: To win three World Cups in a row

SA Rugby’s intentions are clear: They want the Springboks to be in the best position to win a third Rugby World Cup title in a row and extend their total haul to five.

That is what can be deduced by their decision to get Rassie Erasmus to relinquish his position of director of rugby and on board as head coach of the Boks … and extending his contract with the organisation beyond 2025, up to the 2027 World Cup in Australia.

Erasmus, who coached the team between 2018 and 2019 during a tenure which included winning the World Cup in Japan, stood back between 2020 and 2024 to allow Jacques Nienaber to take charge of the side. Nienaber also went on to win the World Cup in France.

While Erasmus was very much a Bok squad member he was also the national body’s director of rugby, with his contract set to run until the end of 2025.

But with Nienaber having stepped aside following last year’s exploits in France, Erasmus, together with SA Rugby, has decided he will again take charge of the team, with an eye on going back-to-back-to-back.

New faces

But while Erasmus will have several familiar faces around him in the new coaching set-up, such as Mzwandile Stick, Deon Davids, Daan Human and Andy Edwards, the desire to keep innovating and be better than before has seen foreigners Jerry Flannery (Ireland) and Tony Brown (New Zealand) join the Boks as defence and attack coaches respectively.

Also, the Boks will have recently retired referee Jaco Peyper on hand to guide them on the laws of the game, while two-time World Cup winner Duane Vermeulen has also joined the national coaching set-up where he will advise and coach where needed across South Africa.

“We believe that with the continuity in the coaching structures and the exciting additions, we are in good hands in the ultimate objective of claiming a hat-trick of World Cup titles,” said SA Rugby president Mark Alexander.

Also, expect the actual Bok team of 2024 and up to the next World Cup in Australia in 2027 to have a familiar look about it, too.

‘Building depth’

“It is a massive honour to coach the Springboks and I am grateful for the trust placed in me,” said Erasmus.

“One of our key pillars in the last few years was building player depth and we are excited about the talent available to us this season. Most of the 2023 World Cup-winning players are still available for selection, and several young players now have the luxury of international and World Cup experience, which is invaluable at Test level.

“With the coaching team finalised, we can now focus on planning for the season and the next few years.”

The Boks face Ireland in two Tests in July, with a one-off Test against Portugal also in the mix before the world champions turn their attention to the Rugby Championship.