The playing field for new Bok coach is not level

There is no other coach in world sport seemingly as highly-rated as Rassie Erasmus, judging by the unprecedented six-year contract SA Rugby gave him this week.

Not even such global giants of coaching as Pep Guardiola or Jose Mourinho enjoy this job security; a six-year contract also promises a massive payout should the two parties separate early on in the relationship.

Not one of the previous Springbok coaches since isolation have enjoyed such largesse and one can only imagine what Nick Mallett, Jake White, Heyneke Meyer and Peter de Villiers think of it all, having all pleaded and argued for continuity and stability during their terms.

And all this for a coach who, other than two Currie Cup titles in 2005/6 (one shared with the Blue Bulls), does not have any silverware on his coaching CV.

So apart from introducing flashing lights to coaching and being highly-rated, what has fuelled all this massive expectation that Erasmus, riding in on his white horse, will make all things right with the Springboks?

I would suggest that it has been Erasmus himself, whose appointment as the new Springbok coach this week was the culmination of what many in the know have called a carefully-crafted campaign or a long-term plan that was always on the cards if one was well enough acquainted with the whispers in the SA Rugby corridors.

By allegedly leaking selected little titbits of useful information to chosen journalists, Erasmus has been able to cultivate a devoted

Ken Borland

following; look at the coverage afforded him by certain media outlets in the last couple of years and it smacks of unquestioning faithfulness in his ability to be the messiah who will save South African rugby.

All previous Springbok coaching appointments have been made based on the World Cup cycle: the rule of thumb being, “mess up in the four-yearly global showpiece and you’re gone”. In fact, as White will tell you, it’s probably more accurate to say the attitude of the administrators has been, “if you win the World Cup maybe we’ll extend your contract, but don’t hold your breath”.

And yet Erasmus has been given two bites of the cherry, two portions of pudding before he has even sat down for hors d’oeuvres.

This is not to say that Erasmus does not deserve his appointment as Springbok coach and I am not suggesting he will definitely fail in his tough mission.

But what alarms me is that right from the outset of his tenure, Erasmus is not being treated the same as all his predecessors. The former Springbok loose forward must be held to the same standards and expectations that came before if SA Rugby is not to be condemned for a jobs-for-pals approach.

We must not forget that Erasmus is currently employed by the governing body as the director of rugby, and as such, he would have had a major say in the decision to get rid of his predecessor Allister Coetzee, as well as what support he was given before his demise, and would have been expected to be involved in the interviewing process for his replacement.

There have also been allegations that Erasmus is in business with CEO Jurie Roux and, if his own lawyer, Frikkie Erasmus, does indeed also act for SA Rugby, then everyone is embroiled in a huge conflict of interest imbroglio.

But anyway, for the next few months at least, it’s “In Rassie we trust” as the Springboks try to dig themselves out of the mess they find themselves in after the Coetzee era.