Rassie reaches unprecedented Springbok milestone
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus will enter uncharted territory on Saturday when he sends out a Springbok team for a record-breaking 55th time as head coach – the most of any coach since South Africa’s first Test match in 1891.
Erasmus has reached the total in two spells (2018 and 2019 and 2024 to the present day) to surpass the previous record of 54 tests established by 2007 Rugby World Cup winning coach Jake White from 2004 to 2007.
Mark Alexander, President of SARU, said: “Rassie understood his mandate from day one and implemented a strategy that truly transformed the way we play, the way we use our diversity as our strength and the way we drive social cohesion by using rugby as a vehicle.
“He galvanised all South Africans behind our team.”
Erasmus, a former Springbok loose forward, also held the title of director of rugby between his head coach roles and was always intimately involved in the team’s preparation with head coach Jacques Nienaber. Saturday marks the 94th Springbok match played under his guidance since his return to the South African Rugby Union (SARU) in 2018.
“There aren’t any superlatives left to describe the impact Rassie has had not only on Springbok rugby but on the sport and the country over the past eight years,” added Alexander.
“He has not only transformed the team’s results, he has transformed the country’s attitude to rugby. He has turned Springbok matches into an environment where South Africans from every demographic, whether it be sex, age, race, or language can come together to celebrate their South African-ness together.”
Erasmus’s contribution has been recognized at the highest level with the conferring of the Order of Ikhamanga in Gold, one of South Africa’s highest civic honours, for exceptional performance in sport. Few awards have ever been more richly deserved.
“Rassie Erasmus’s legacy is measured not only in victories but in the unity, hope and pride he has instilled in South Africans,” said Alexander.
“His work stands as a testament to the power of rugby to transcend boundaries and bring our nation together.”
The Springboks have achieved a win rate of 75,93% in Erasmus’ 54 matches in charge – 13,5% better than the Springboks’ historical winning record (62,5%) when he assumed control.
In the past two seasons since resuming the head coach title (and including Saturday’s match against England) the winning average has risen ever higher to 85,7% with only four defeats in 28 matches.
Rian Oberholzer, CEO of SA Rugby, said: “There is no doubt that Rassie is the greatest coach to ever lead the Springboks and he will rank highly in conversations about the greatest coach to ever take charge of a national team from any country.
“His clarity of vision, his attention to detail, and the ability to bring disparate people and systems into alignment is extraordinary.
“The Springboks were ranked sixth in the world and had suffered a series of record defeats when he took on job of head coach.
“With largely the same playing personnel he has masterminded the winning of two Rugby World Cups and established the team at the very pinnacle of the sport.”
Erasmus said: “When players reach milestones we don’t talk about it in the build-up to matches and the same applies this week. It’s a nice thing to know but the most important and only thing this week is performing against a very dangerous Scotland team.”
