Rassie Erasmus: The full picture -2018 to 2026

SPOTLIGHT: The ‘chalkboard’ in the corner of the room still bore the faint, ghostly outlines of a 57–0 scoreline.

It was a sequence of numbers that, while never spoken aloud, resonated deeply with everyone present.

At the beginning of 2018, the Springboks were in turmoil.

Ranked sixth in the world and reeling from 11 defeats in their last 25 matches, the Green and Gold jersey had lost its storied significance. It felt cumbersome, weighed down by a proud history that no longer reflected the current struggles.

Then came Rassie.

He didn’t arrive as a typical corporate saviour armed with polished rhetoric. Instead, he appeared in a simple training top, wielded a well-worn whistle, and possessed a gaze that sliced through the din of criticism.

“If you want to assess our progress,” he addressed the squad during their first challenging week together, his voice steady yet penetrating, “you need to view the entire landscape.”

Not merely a spreadsheet or a win percentage, but what it truly takes to rekindle a nation’s belief.

The transformation wasn’t a dramatic, cinematic moment.

It was cultivated in the shadows, built on unflinching honesty and a radical shift in mindset.

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Rassie didn’t solely focus on the 15 players on the field.

He recognised the millions watching from the townships of the Eastern Cape to the suburbs of Johannesburg. He identified a fractured rugby community and resolved to turn it into a powerful force of unity.

He introduced the player-named ‘Bomb Squad,’ redefining the bench from a group of substitutes into a tactical asset.

Tactical ingenuity became synonymous with street-smart resilience.

Gradually, the bleeding ceased. The damage began to mend.

By the time the world paused in Yokohama, the transformation was evident.

The team that had been dismissed as a remnant of the past stood proudly on the podium, raising the Webb Ellis Cup into the night sky of Japan.

Yet, Rassie wasn’t focused on the trophy.

He was gazing at Siya, Tendai, and Lukhanyo, appreciating the human foundation he had painstakingly reconstructed.

Four years later, they achieved it once more in Paris, validating that their initial triumph was not a fluke, but a framework for future success.

Today, the Springboks occupy the pinnacle of world rugby, a remarkably efficient, deeply interconnected brotherhood that plays with the weight of its nation on its shoulders. The fear has dissipated, replaced by a sense of tactical dominance.

Rassie’s win percentage is indeed remarkable, but his true legacy can’t simply be quantified in statistics.

It is reflected in the pride of a child wearing a green jersey on a muddy field in Zwide, embodying the belief that regardless of how far one might fall, the journey back to the top is always achievable.

Below is a statistical evaluation since Johan ‘Rassie’ Erasmus took charge of the national team in 2018

* These statistics first surfaced on a WhatsApp group in the Port Elizabeth area. I was unable to find the source, but they are accurate, and I reissue with credit to the original author!

100 TESTS UNDER RASSIE ERASMUS

From his first Test in 2018 through the Baltimore Test on 12 September 2026:

100 Tests
* 74 wins
* 1 draw
* 25 losses
# 74.0 percent win rate

That is an extraordinary record over 100 Tests.

Erasmus has been involved in all 100 Tests either as coach or Director of Rugby.
* 61 Tests as Head Coach
* 39 Tests as Director of Rugby

As head coach:

* 47 wins
* One draw
* 13 losses
# 77.0 percent win rate

As Director of Rugby:

* 27 wins
* 12 losses
#* 69.2 percent win rate

The 39 Director of Rugby Tests were during the Jacques Nienaber era.

2018 – THE TURNAROUND STARTS

Rassie took over in March 2018.

South Africa were ranked sixth in the world and had won only 11 of their previous 25 Tests. They had also suffered the infamous 57–0 loss to New Zealand.

His first Test: South Africa 20–22 Wales in Washington DC

He gave 13 players their Test debuts.

2018 overall:
* 14 Tests
* 7 wins
* 7 losses
# 50 percent win rate

But the massive moment came in Wellington: New Zealand 34–36 South Africa. It was South Africa’s first win in New Zealand since 2009. That win showed that the Boks were changing.

2019 – THE YEAR EVERYTHING CHANGED

South Africa went:
* 12 Tests
* 10 wins
* One draw
* One loss
# 83.3 percent win rate

The one defeat was the 13-23 loss to New Zealand in the World Cup pool match.

Then came the response.

* Rugby Championship champions
* World Cup champions

South Africa became the first country to win the Rugby Championship and World Cup in the same year.

They also became the first team to win the World Cup after losing a pool match.

World Cup Final: South Africa 32–12 England

The Boks returned to No.1 in the World Rugby rankings for the first time since November 2009.

Rassie was named:
* World Rugby Coach of the Year
* South Africa was named World Rugby Team of the Year
* Pieter-Steph du Toit was named World Rugby Player of the Year.
* And the Boks won the Nelson Mandela Challenge Plate against Australia in 2019 as well.

2021 – THE LIONS

Rassie moved back into the Director of Rugby role, with Jacques Nienaber becoming coach.

The Springboks won the British & Irish Lions Series 2–1. After losing the first Test 17–22, the Boks won the next two 27–9 and 19–16.

The final Test was won by Morné Steyn’s late penalty.

It was a massive achievement considering the COVID disruption and the fact that the entire series was played under extraordinary pandemic restrictions.

The 2021 Springboks finished with:
* 13 Tests
* 8 wins
* 5 losses

2023 – BACK-TO-BACK WORLD CUPS

Rassie was still Director of Rugby, working alongside Jacques Nienaber.

The Springboks went:
* 13 Tests
* 11 wins
* 2 losses
# 84.6 percent win rate

* World Cup 2023

South Africa 12–11 New Zealand

South Africa became:
* The first nation to win four men’s World Cups
* Only the second nation to win back-to-back World Cups
* Still undefeated in World Cup finals
* The only country to beat New Zealand in two World Cup finals

South Africa’s four titles:
1995
2007
2019
2023

World Rugby confirmed South Africa as the most successful men’s World Cup nation.

And before the World Cup final, the Boks hammered New Zealand 35–7. At the time, it was the heaviest defeat in All Blacks Test history.

THE NEW ZEALAND RIVALRY

From the 2023 World Cup warm-up through September 2026:
* SA won 35–7 – London, 2023
* SA won 12–11 – World Cup Final, 2023
* SA won 31–27 – Johannesburg, 2024
* SA won 18–12 – Cape Town, 2024
* NZ won 24–17 SA – Auckland, 2025
* SA won 43–10 – Wellington, 2025
* NZ won 33–16 SA – Johannesburg, 2026
* SA won 33–26 – Cape Town, 2026
* SA won 29–24 – Johannesburg, 2026
* SA won 43–28 – Baltimore, 2026

That’s:
* Eight South African wins
* Two New Zealand wins
# 80 percent South African win rate

And South Africa won four straight against New Zealand in 2023–24, something the Boks had not achieved since 1949.

The 2024 Cape Town victory also kept New Zealand tryless, something South Africa had not achieved against the All Blacks since 2011.

2024 – 84.6 percent

Rassie’s first full season back as coach.

* 13 Tests
* 11 wins
* 2 losses
* 84.6 percent win rate

The two defeats were both by one point:
* 24–25 Ireland
* 28-29 Argentina

The Boks scored:
* 57 tries
* 450 points

They conceded:
* 23 tries
* 220 points

They had three clean sheets for tries conceded:
* Australia
* New Zealand
* Scotland

Rassie used:
* 50 players
* 12 new caps
* four captains

And three Springboks were nominated for World Rugby Player of the Year:
* Pieter-Steph du Toit
* Eben Etzebeth
* Cheslin Kolbe

The 57 tries were the third-highest South African total in a season since 1992.

Only:
* 2007 – 81 tries
* 1997 – 74 tries
* 2024 – 57 tries

And remember: Rassie himself was a Springbok player in 1997, when the Boks scored those 74 tries.

2024 also brought four pieces of silverware:
* Rugby Championship
* Freedom Cup
* Nelson Mandela Challenge Plate
* Prince William Cup

The Boks also finished No.1 in the world.

And they completed a clean sweep of their November tour:
* 32–15 Scotland
* 29–20 England
* 45–12 Wales

The last time they had won all three of those end-of-year Tests was 2013.

2025 – ANOTHER HUGE YEAR

The Boks finished:
* 14 Tests
* 12 wins
* 2 losses
* 85.7 percent win rate

They retained:
** Rugby Championship

That made South Africa back-to-back Rugby Championship champions – 2024 and 2025.

The Boks also scored 81 tries in 14 Tests

That equalled the South African record of 81 tries set in 2007 – but Rassie’s Boks did it in 14 Tests, compared with 17 Tests in 2007.

* 5.79 tries per Test

They also won the Rugby Championship, Freedom Cup, Mandela Challenge Plate, Prince William Cup, and Puma Trophy during 2025.

And then came: New Zealand 10–43 South Africa

The Boks’ 43–10 win in Wellington was their biggest-ever victory over New Zealand in New Zealand.

They finished 2025 as No.1 in the world.

2026 – THE 100TH TEST

Through the Baltimore Test:
* Eight Tests
* Seven wins
* One loss
* 87.5 percent win rate

Results:
* SA won 45–21 against England
* SA won 42–28 against Scotland
* SA won 43–0 against Wales
* SA won 17–10 against Argentina
* NZ won 33–16 against South Africa
* SA won 33–26 against New Zealand
* SA won 29–24 against New Zealand
* SA won 43–28 against New Zealand

Then came Rassie’s 100th Test.

* Ravens Stadium, Baltimore
* 68,173 spectators
* SA won 43–28 against NZ

South Africa scored six tries to New Zealand’s four.

The Boks won the four-Test Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series 3–1.

It was also South Africa’s third consecutive win over New Zealand in 2026, matching the three wins South Africa achieved over the All Blacks in 2009.

And it was the first full-scale All Blacks tour to South Africa in 30 years, involving eight matches over six weeks.

2024–2026 COMBINED

Since Rassie returned as coach:
* 35 Tests
* 30 wins
* 5 losses
* 85.7 percent win rate

That is three consecutive seasons above 84 percent:
2024 – 84.6 percent
2025 – 85.7 percent
2026 – 87.5 percent

THE TROPHIES

This is where people often leave out a lot of the detail.

If we count trophies/series won while Rassie was either Head Coach or Director of Rugby, the haul is enormous:
* World Cup – 2019, 2023
* Rugby Championship – 2019, 2024, 2025
* British & Irish Lions Series – 2021
* Nelson Mandela Challenge Plate – 2019, 2023, 2024, 2025
* Freedom Cup – 2024, 2025
* Prince William Cup – 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
* Puma Trophy – 2019, 2022, 2023, 2025
* Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry – 2026

So there are 24 trophy/series achievements across the Erasmus leadership era if every annual defence/retention is counted separately.

And an important distinction:
* Rassie was coach in 2019 and from 2024 onward.
* He was Director of Rugby from 2020–2023, with Jacques Nienaber as coach.

So the 2021 Lions victory and the 2023 World Cup, for example, belong to the Erasmus/Nienaber leadership structure, rather than being described as Rassie victories as coach.

THE WORLD RANKINGS

Rassie took the Boks from:

* No.6 in the world in 2018
to:
* No.1 in 2019

They finished:
* No.1 – 2019
* No.1 – 2023
* No.1 – 2024
* No.1 – 2025

And remained No.1 after the 2026 Baltimore victory.

The Boks also spent 98 consecutive weeks at No.1 from November 2019 to September 2021.

RASSIE AS A SPRINGBOK COACH

By July 2026, Rassie had become the most-capped Springbok coach in history, reaching 54 Tests, overtaking/equaling Jake White’s previous record.

At 54 Tests:

Rassie:
* 41 wins
* 1 draw
* 12 losses
* 75.93 percent

Jake White:
* 36 wins
* 1 draw
* 17 losses
* 66.67 percent

Heyneke Meyer:
* 32 wins
* 2 draws
* 14 losses
* 66.67 percent

Jacques Nienaber:
* 27 wins
* 12 losses
* 69.23 percent

Peter de Villiers:
* 30 wins
* 18 losses
* 62.50 percent

Nick Mallett:
* 27 wins
* 11 losses
* 71.05 percent

So Rassie wasn’t simply the most-capped coach – at that milestone he also had the highest win percentage among the most-capped Springbok coaches.

RASSIE THE PLAYER

Before all of this, Rassie was a Springbok himself.

* 36 Test caps
* 1997–2001
* Part of the 1999 World Cup squad

He therefore went from Springbok player, to coach, Director of Rugby, * World Cup-winning coach, Director of Rugby and coach again.

His playing career even overlaps with the 1997 Springbok team that scored 74 tries, the second-highest South African seasonal total since 1992.

PERSONAL HONOURS

Rassie has won World Rugby Coach of the Year (2019) and in 2026 he received the National Order of Ikhamanga in Gold for his contribution to South African sport and his leadership of the Springboks to repeated World Cup success.

He has also had his SA Rugby contract extended through 2031.

AND THIS IS PROBABLY THE BIGGEST STAT OF ALL

When Rassie took over in 2018:
* South Africa were sixth in the world
* Only 11 wins from their previous 25 Tests
* They had lost 57–0 to New Zealand
* Confidence in the Springboks was at rock bottom

Since then:
* 2 World Cups
* 3 Rugby Championships
* 1 British & Irish Lions series
* 2 Freedom Cups
* 4 Mandela Challenge Plates
* 5 Prince William Cups
* 4 Puma Trophies
* 1 Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series
* Multiple years finishing No.1 in the world
* 100 Tests
* 74 wins
* 1 draw
* 25 losses
* 74.0 percent overall win rate
* 77.0 percent as coach

And South Africa are now the only four-time men’s World Cup champions.

That is the Rassie record in full.

@JanDKrugby
@rugby365com