BREAKING: Rassie back as Springbok head coach to 2027!

Rassie Erasmus has returned to the role of Springbok head coach for the next four years, following the departure of Jacques Nienaber.

On Tuesday, SA Rugby confirmed that Erasmus – the mastermind behind the Springboks’ back-to-back Rugby World Cup titles of 2019 and 2023 – will once again take on the top job as head coach. Furthermore, he has extended his contract through to 2027.

Erasmus, who coached the team in 2019 and was Director of Rugby four years later, will lead a modified coaching team in the absence of Nienaber and attack coach Felix Jones, who has left to join England.

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Rassie Erasmus to lead Springboks once again

Erasmus, who is recuperating from medical procedures after a freak accident, said he was thankful for the trust placed in him by SA Rugby’s leadership to steer the national team once again, and he was equally thrilled about the new appointments.

“It is a massive honour to coach the Springboks, and I am grateful for the trust placed in me,” said Erasmus. “The main difference between the last four years and this season is that I will be more hands-on at the field sessions.

“In my role as Director of Rugby in the last four years I continued to oversee the team structures and strategy in conjunction with Jacques and the other coaches, so it should be an easy transition back into the head coach role.

“We already had our first coaching session this week at the hospital, and it’s great to see the enthusiasm among the coaches to get the season underway.”

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Busy season ahead

Erasmus was confident about the player depth available both for the Springboks, where several young players came through the ranks in the last few years to become key members of the 2023 team such as Manie Libbok and Kurt-Lee Arendse, and a number of players coming through at the provincial unions.

“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,” said Erasmus. “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.

“We have a challenging Test season ahead with a Test Series against Ireland on Saturday 6 and 13 July in Pretoria and Durban, and we face Portugal for the first time ever a week later in Bloemfontein in the Incoming Series.

“We then have an exciting Rugby Championship campaign, which features two home tests against New Zealand on Saturday 31 August and 7 September in Johannesburg and Cape Town, before facing Argentina in Nelspruit on Saturday, 28 September.

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

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Bok coaching team:

Rassie Erasmus – Head coach
Mzwandile Stick – Assistant coach
Deon Davids – Assistant coach
Daan Human – Assistant coach
Tony Brown – Assistant coach
Jerry Flannery – Assistant coach
Andy Edwards – Head of Athletic Performance

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