Rassie v Eddie: When genius meets chaos under the Wembley arch

SPOTLIGHT: The Springboks kick off their end-of-year tour at the iconic Wembley Stadium against Japan, but they are definitely not the only legends in the house.

The well-known stadium, situated in northwest London’s Wembley area, has welcomed many iconic events, including the 1966 World Cup and Euro 2020 Finals, the 1985 Live Aid concert, the 2012 Olympic Games, and numerous major music concerts featuring artists such as Queen, Taylor Swift, and Ed Sheeran.

It has also hosted major boxing and American football matches and is known for its rich history in sports and entertainment.

And next up are the World Champions from South Africa.

When Rassie Erasmus and Eddie Jones come face to face under the Wembley arch on Saturday, they bring with them two very different coaching philosophies.

Erasmus’s game plan is built on physical dominance, defensive intensity, and precision under pressure. His approach is relentlessly data-driven and innovative.

Jones is obsessed with intensity, adaptability, and the psychological edge.

He sees rugby as a mind game as much as a physical one, often trying to outthink opponents before kickoff.

While Erasmus builds consistency and trust, Jones thrives on disruption and reinvention.

Both reached multiple World Cup Finals; Erasmus converted more into trophies, Jones more into narratives.

It all comes down to 80 minutes at Wembley Stadium this weekend.

As the dramatic 133-metre arch looms large just outside my hotel window, I was curious to find out more about the stadium that has hosted some of the world’s biggest rock stars, the musical and sporty kind.

The pedestrian walkways around the stadium are adorned with huge flags of England’s rugby league stars, with an impressive staircase that leads to the entrance gates at the top.

*Article continues below…

And as the upcoming events flash on the side of the stadium, along with the likes of Bon Jovi and Luke Combs, the Springboks’ game for Saturday also got a mention.

The Springboks and Brave Blossoms have met three times previously. The first encounter took place at World Cup 2015 when Japan shocked the world by beating South Africa 34-32 in Brighton.

The Springboks took the spoils in two subsequent fixtures, but this match is sure to revive memories of that famous first meeting 10 years ago.

Adding to the sense of occasion, it will be the first rugby match to be staged at Wembley Stadium since 2016, when the Springboks and Barbarians played out an entertaining 31-31 draw.

The Springboks are not staying in the Wembley area and are based about a 20-minute drive away. They will also not train at the stadium this week.

Wembley is also the home of the England national football league team, as well as the FA Cup Final and semifinals.

Pele once said: “Wembley is the cathedral of football. It is the capital of football, and it is the heart of football.”

Last Saturday, the stadium hosted the first league Ashes Test since 2003, when England hosted Australia, and a few Springboks were in attendance among the crowd of 60,812 to get the feel of the atmosphere.

*Article continues below…

England’s bid to win the league’s version of the Ashes for the first time in more than half a century was dealt a sobering blow following a 6-26 defeat by Australia.

Even Kangaroos star Reece Walsh was upstaged as Jon Bon Jovi made a surprise appearance at Australia’s captain’s run, taking selfies with what he described as ‘tough sons-of-bitches’.

Japan’s coach Eddie Jones also remarked about the status of the stadium, saying beating the Springboks there would be on a par with “the Coldplay concerts” there.

“Wembley’s a good stadium to do it at,” said the Australian.

“Imagine beating South Africa at Wembley. That would be iconic.”

The impressive stadium seems to be a bustling place, not only hosting sporting events but also multiple events.

It was officially opened by King George V on 23 April 1924, but it actually hosted its first FA Cup final in 1923, when 200,000 spectators watched Bolton Wanderers FC defeat West Ham United FC 2-0.

The original stadium was demolished in 2003, making way for the current Wembley Stadium, which reopened in May 2007 on the same site.

Boasting a legendary history, Wembley hosted the 1948 Olympic Games, the final of EURO 1996, eight of the UEFA EURO 2020 games, including the final, and the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 final.

An interesting fact about the new pitch that was laid after the reopening is that it is a hybrid of grass and synthetic plastic. That means it is fully recyclable.

It is 105 meters long and 69 meters wide, a size required for a UEFA Category 4 stadium.

The pitch is a highly maintained, state-of-the-art playing surface that is taken up and relaid twice a year for concerts and other events, and is maintained using a combination of lighting rigs, special nutrients, and specialised machinery.

A large number of professional playing surfaces in today’s game contain plastic to make them more durable. Hybrid pitches have become popular because they offer increased reliability in variable weather and can be used for multiple purposes.

However, the recycling of old hybrid pitches has been a challenge.

The plastic contained within the hybrid pitch means they do not break down naturally, and the majority of old pitches are sent to waste landfill sites at the end of their life cycle.

Wembley Stadium staff have come up with a process that means the plastic can be extracted from the pitch and repurposed.

In the first of its kind, they created a bench, made entirely out of plastic from a pitch, and soil from Wembley’s pitch is regularly donated to local clubs.

Wembley’s Liddy Ford also made history as part of the first-ever all-female grounds team to prepare the pitch for a Women’s World Cup Final.