Rassie to step back in as Springbok coach, but for how long?

SA Rugby are understood to be comfortable for Rassie Erasmus to come back into a frontline role as Springboks coach while they assess the next best steps.

It’s not yet really clear if this will be an interim appointment, or potentially long-term, but Erasmus is set to absorb the responsibilities as head coach for the foreseeable future – as he did when he returned to South Africa in 2018, coaching the Boks to their 2019 World Cup triumph.

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Rassie may even coach until the next World Cup in 2027.

Erasmus is contracted to 2025, but there is even a chance that SA Rugby could look to extend his services for the next four-year cycle.

“We will do the wash-up of the tour and talk about where we will go next, but there is no rush (to replace Nienaber),” SA Rugby president Mark Alexander has stated. “We have the director of rugby [Erasmus] to fill in that role in the meantime and we are taking our time to see the other coaches within the system and then we will make a decision. 

“There is no rush for us to go ahead and appoint a coach tomorrow. We have enough cover for the programmes to continue. We are also looking from within because we are building succession. We are building capacity in the organisation. We will look deep into [the] organisation and if we fail to find the right person, we will go outside.

“We will see how the succession plan looks, where we are in that planning and based on that we will decide to get a coach next year, the next year or maybe the director of rugby will coach the team until the next World Cup. We are not rushing to do anything.”

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Who else could potentially coach the Springboks?

If Erasmus and SA Rugby did look for another head coach, it’s most likely that they would promote from within and elevate Mzwandile Stick into this role, with it already very clear that the organisation would not consider an outside/overseas candidate.

Perhaps consideration could be given to Stormers coach John Dobson, but it’s likely that he would want to work with his own selected assistants.

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Meanwhile, Duane Vermeulen is reportedly being eyed as Nienaber’s successor as defence coach, with the veteran No 8 now set to hang up his boots.

With all this in mind, SA Rugby announced previously that three current Springbok assistant coaches Mzwandile Stick, Deon Davids and Daan Human, as well as Head of Athletic Performance, Andy Edwards, had signed contract extensions for another four years. This will see them remain with the team until the conclusion of the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.

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