Return of Rassie the puppeteer
RASSIE ERASMUS was at Murrayfield yesterday wearing the contented look of a man still basking in the aftermath of South Africa’s World Cup triumph last November.
Following that tournament in Japan, the architect of the Springboks’ third global conquest stood down from his post as head coach and reverted to the hands-off director of rugby role. However, there is a firm belief that he will retain a powerful, direct influence, with former Bok hooker James Dalton saying last week: ‘We all know that Rassie Erasmus is still going to be the puppet master.’
So the puppet master was in Edinburgh but he wasn’t treated to much of a show on the day that the Daily Mail revealed South Africa are on course to join the Six Nations, perhaps as early as 2024. If this plan becomes reality, as appears increasingly likely, this was a vision of the future for the world-champion country.
At this stage, Erasmus would not have been on a mission to place a finger on the pulse of Europe’s annual international tournament. This Calcutta Cup encounter took place just days after it was confirmed that Scotland would play Tests in Cape Town and Durban this July, so the purpose of this visit was surely to assess forthcoming opponents at close quarters. Erasmus will have also taken the chance to catch up with his ex-forwards coach Matt Proudfoot, who is now working for England.
Nevertheless, events yesterday may have served as a timely reminder to South Africa about what awaits if they leave behind the Rugby Championship and decide to align themselves with the northern hemisphere elite. They will be enticed by commercial possibilities and the preferable time zones but it is not all sweetness and light.
The Six Nations has days like this, when it is about grunt and grit rather than razzle-dazzle. This is an event that spans the end of winter and the beginning of spring, so in the furthest northern reaches of the championship landscape in particular, it can be wet and wild and messy. Matches are often scruffy, stop-start affairs. It is all about substance over style, more often than not.
In a sense, the Springboks would come well equipped for the type of rugby they would face, given the endless supply of high-powered forwards at their disposal. But these locations are a far cry from the dry heights of Johannesburg and Bloemfontein. At least South Africa can point to regular trips to Wellington — capital of New Zealand — as a means of acclimatising.
Perhaps they would miss some of the southern destinations where ball-handling is not such a lottery; places such as Sydney, Brisbane and Perth, Buenos Aires and Mendoza — even Auckland on a good day, although no visiting team would miss trips to fortress Eden Park. But they won’t have jet-lag to contend with.
And through the maelstrom yesterday Erasmus would have seen a vision of tribal fervour which may prove very appealing.