Bullet praises Rassie’s role

Cape Town – Former Springbok hooker James Dalton (below), who was a member of the 1995 World Cup-winning squad, has seen a lot in his career.

Known for the infamous “Battle of Boet Erasmus” when he was sent off against Canada in a Port Elizabeth pool stage match during the 1995 tournament, Dalton’s international career is about far more than simply that one moment.

He went on to play 43 Tests for the Boks, was a member of the 1998 championship Tri-Nations squad and was also a core member of the squad that won a record 18 Test matches under Nick Mallett during that time.

Now 47, Dalton has released an autobiography entitled Bulletproof: The James Dalton Story .

The man affectionately known as “Bullet” has heaped praise on the work done by Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus since he took the job in 2018.

When Erasmus came in the turnaround began almost immediately and on November 2 the Boks were crowned world champions for a third time. “I’m proud to be a Springbok again,” said Dalton.

“Now we’re back where I believe we should be.”

Dalton pointed to Erasmus’ use of overseas-based players, something Allister Coetzee didn’t always have at his disposal – as well as his shrewd use of his substitutes bench as key factors.

“I think it’s just the maturity of the coach,” he said.

“It’s the first time that a coach has gone and selected the best South Africans from around the world and I think that was the most important thing.

“Then where players are No 1 choice and No 2 choice, there is very little to differentiate between their abilities. That’s what made such a big difference.

“Some people were of the opinion that the bench was stronger than the starting pack, and that shows how strong our rugby actually is.”