Coach Rassie set to unveil his management team for World Cup 2019
SOUTH AFRICAN Rugby Union director of rugby Rassie Erasmus will today be unveiled as the Springboks’ new head coach – if not permanently then definitely for the foreseeable future.
And, Erasmus will at the same time announce his management team for the next two years, up until the 2019 World Cup in Japan.
The 45-year-old Erasmus will take over as the Boks’ coach after Saru and former coach Allister Coetzee agreed to end their partnership earlier this year. It followed two years of poor results where the Boks slipped to sixth in the world rankings.
Under Coetzee the Boks slumped to record defeats against New Zealand, Argentina and Italy.
Erasmus returned to South Africa in the latter stages of last year after spending two seasons as head coach of Munster in Ireland. Before moving abroad the former Bok flank filled a similar role as director of rugby at Saru.
Before that he coached the Stormers and Western Province – ironically alongside Coetzee – and made his name as a player and coach at the Cheetahs, where he won the Currie Cup.
At Munster Erasmus was named PRO12 coach of the season for 2016-17. He was lured back to South Africa by Saru to take up the director of rugby position, with a view to possibly becoming the next Bok coach, which he will now become. Erasmus has previously worked as a consultant for the Boks.
His right-hand man of many years, defence guru and the man often credited for making the Stormers such a powerful defensive outfit, Jacques Nienaber, will officially also join the Bok management team. He, too, returned to South Africa from Munster, alongside Erasmus.
The other man returning to the Springbok fold – who was part of former coach Heyneke Meyer’s set-up between 2012 and 2015 – is scrum coach Pieter de Villiers, who turned out for France in his playing days.
The skills coach who will predominantly be involved with the backs will be Mzwandile Stick, who was brought into the Springbok set-up by Coetzee, but after just one season he was dumped.
Stick, Nienaber and De Villiers effectively take the places of Franco Smith, Brendan Venter and Johan van Graan – all three men who were at some stage part of Coetzee’s management team.
The Boks’ first assignment under the guidance of the new coaching team will be a one-off Test against Wales, in Washington DC on 2 June.
They then play a three-Test series against Eddie Jones’ England team, before turning their attention to the Rugby Championship where Erasmus & Co will want to make up for the last two years’ struggles.