The Big Easy's verdict on Rassie's Boks
INTERVIEW: The Big Easy is a long-time Springbok fan, who has occasionally even featured in a pre-match team photo.
So it does not come as a surprise that Ernie Els expresses a view in favour of South Africa’s pride and joy.
Els believes the Boks are in a great position to create history and retain the Rugby Championship crown for the first time.
The Springboks stormed to the title in 2024, beating New Zealand and Australia home and away en route to being crowned the Southern Hemisphere’s best team for the first time since 2019.
Their success in the four-team tournament, which also includes Argentina, followed on from their back-to-back World Cup triumphs, beating the All Blacks in an epic 2023 Final to the Webb Ellis Cup they won in 2019.
It continues a golden period for the South African game, which sees Rassie Erasmus’ charges currently ranked the No.1 side in the world.
Els, a four-time major winner, former world #1 and World Golf Hall of Famer, makes no secret of his love of the sport, having played it at school, and thinks South Africa is primed to continue their success.
“There are some big teams in the Rugby Championship, but we’re in a good spot at the moment,” he said, speaking at the launch of his new golf club, Els Club Vilamoura.
Els played a nine-hole exhibition to open the Els Club Vilamoura alongside Scottish legend Colin Montgomerie and 2001 Open Champion David Duval.
“But we don’t want to get too cocky,” he said of the upcoming Rugby Championship, adding: “New Zealand are going to be strong.”
The 2025 Rugby Championship kicks off on August 16, with South Africa taking on Australia at Ellis Park, Johannesburg, while New Zealand travels to Argentina.
The Springboks then host Australia again before travelling to New Zealand for both of their Round Three and Four contests.
South Africa round off the competition with home and away clashes with Los Pumas, who beat them 29-28 in Santiago del Estero to deny them a clean sweep of wins last year.
Els is South Africa’s second-most decorated golfer, having triumphed at the US Open in 1994 and 1997 and The Open in 2002 and 2012.
His daughter Samantha played international rugby for the United States in 2022 before making her debut for South Africa in 2023.
However, those were all non-cap internationals.
By Phil Campbell
