rassie erasmus

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus addressing the media at the Springbok Expecience ahead of their test against England at Newlands Stadium. PHOTO :Phando Jikelo/African News Agency/ANA

Brendan Venter: Rassie Erasmus making the same mistakes as Allister Coetzee

Brendan Venter has a kindhearted warning for Springbok coach, Rassie Erasmus.

rassie erasmus

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus addressing the media at the Springbok Expecience ahead of their test against England at Newlands Stadium. PHOTO :Phando Jikelo/African News Agency/ANA

If Springbok coach, Rassie Erasmus, continues to chop and change the national rugby team, with immediate wins in mind, he is in danger of stumbling down the same dark road as his embattled predecessor, Allister Coetzee.

This is the opinion of Brendan Venter.

Venter was the assistant coach of South Africa’s national rugby team in 2017 – he also earned 17 caps for the Springboks between 1994 and 1999.

“Erasmus is now also struggling” – Venter

During his tenure as assistant coach, Venter saw his fair share of defeats alongside Coetzee, so his warning to Erasmus comes with some practical clout. He expressed his concern in a personal column for stuff.co.nz – advising the new coach and director of Springboks rugby to keep his eye on the long-term prize.

It hasn’t been an easy season for Erasmus – expectations from local rugby fans were high, following a long run of bad luck under previous coaches, Coetzee and Heyneke Meyer. At the end of 2017, Springbok supporters were disillusioned and pessimistic.

Erasmus was the man chosen to turn that all around – to revitalise a struggling squad by bringing some young blood into the ranks and reeling in some overseas veterans. Yet, the much anticipated Springbok renaissance has turned out to be a half-baked stab in the dark.

Brendan Venter preaches patience

The Springboks have only won half their games so far. While that’s an improvement compared to Coetzee’s efforts, worryingly, the encounters only get tougher from this point on.

Venter has warned Erasmus that his fixation on ‘winning at all costs’ will lead him to failure, saying:

“As much as we want to blame Meyer and Coetzee for the Springboks’ slump in recent times – losing to Japan and suffering a record defeat to the All Blacks – we can’t cast them as scapegoats because Erasmus is now also struggling.

And if he keeps on chopping and changing, because all he is looking at is results and winning at all costs, he will follow the same path as his predecessors.”

Yet, while Venter painted a somewhat sombre Springbok picture, he remained philosophical on the nation’s rugby prospects, saying:

“The powers that be need to be patient with Erasmus, so that he can buck the trend and implement a long-term vision.

The fact the Springboks have slipped to their joint-lowest world ranking of seventh doesn’t bother me.

My issue is not with rankings and results because I measure progress and performance. I live my life as a coach and doctor based on simple principles. The trick is to follow the process and be performance-driven”

Venter added that while Erasmus was a good coach, with a strong pedigree, his problems lay in his naivety.