RASSIE LEAVES IT LATE
Munster coach vows to hand over reins in best order he can but time is running out
My commitment to how we handover is so important. I would be a nasty person to leave them when they are not safe
RASSIE ERASMUS’ premature leaving of Limerick is an evocative subject. He’d been a compassionate ambassador for Munster, acting with statesman-like grace and dignity in nurturing a bereaved squad through the trauma of Anthony Foley’s sudden passing 12 months ago.
Now, though, his reputation isn’t so immaculate, the South African dramatically announcing during pre-season he is to quit for home rather than see out his three-year deal. It’s an acrimonious development, a destabilisation not helped by him going against his own word.
He’d always insisted the higher-pressured Test rugby arena was an older man’s game, a stage only fit for the 50-somethings. However, having just turned 45 last Thursday, his preference now is to jump head-first into the furnace that is the newly-created director role governing the struggling Springboks.
It’s an awkward U-turn, but the risk of reputational damage in going against stated beliefs was something he ultimately felt worth enduring regardless of the flak.
‘I did say that (Test rugby is for 50-somethings) and it has always been my theory because you have to get results. If you don’t, you start dancing to other people’s pipes, listening to what they say and playing the political game.
‘For an older guy you’re more settled in a position like that. You do it your way because you’re more experienced. But to be fair to SA Rugby they have changed the structures and the head coach and director of rugby will work much more closely now.
‘I thought it wouldn’t change in the next six, seven years but it did. That is what changed my mind, that there is actually this director of rugby position which wasn’t there in the past. I still feel the older you are the better you handle tough situations because you have been there and done that, but I’ll have to swim now.’
Test rugby’s shark-infested waters will be a world away from his temporary Irish life on the banks of the Shannon, his family home at Castleconnell only a short spin upriver from Munster HQ at University of Limerick.
Despite now netting his dream job elsewhere he insists leaving will be a wrench, so much so his bags won’t be packed until he feels Munster are satisfied with his successor and the reins handed over. It’s the least he feels he can do given his June decision to quit caught them on the hop not long after he indicated he was staying long haul and honouring his deal.
‘I’ll personally miss it. It wasn’t an easy decision. Going to this (SA) position, it was still not “Let’s go”. It was, “Do I really want to give this up? Is this worth it?”
‘What I have experienced here, not just on the field but off it personally for me and my family, we have grown really tight. There was so many things we had to go through in 16 months, which meant a lot to me, as a family.
‘I’ll miss it a lot. That’s why my commitment to how we do this (handover) the right way is so important. I would be a very nasty person just to leave them when they are not safe and sure.’
The fear is, Erasmus has ridden the crest of a wave while in Ireland, with winter upheaval now expected with the anticipated arrival of Johann van Graan as their likely new director of rugby.
Familiar foes Racing 92 and Leicester are also poised to hit back at Munster once their mettle is tested on the road next Sunday at a confrontational Castres outfit described by Erasmus as physically brutal.
And then there is the potential drawback of the passing of time. Last season’s unexpected run to the semi-finals was inspired by an emotional determination to fittingly honour the memory of the late Foley, who passed away in Paris the night before their round one opener last October.
Next weekend’s French trip marks the first anniversary, but it will be more difficult for them to repeat the heroics that earned a place in the last four for the first time since 2014.
The suspicion remains that last season was their best year to lift a trophy last collected in 2008, Erasmus himself harbouring misgivings how it ended at the hands of champions Saracens.
‘If I could have last year over I would probably have rotated players more, made sure that when we get to the business end we don’t have guys who have 2,000 minutes played and other guys have 600.
‘You’d like to have guys with 1,300 or 1,400 minutes. It’s just a very simple way of saying “manage your squad better” so that everyone is a
little fresher, or take more chances with young guys because you get a bit punch drunk in those knockout stages. That is the one lesson I have learned. You can’t go fully putting your best team out there every single week. Mentally we were up for it but physically we were a bit tired.’
Lesson learned maybe but Erasmus’ imminent exit means this revaluation might not be properly implemented. It’s why his leaving is so evocative.