VIDEO: The year's biggest injustice
World Rugby’s annual rewards continue to be the subject of vigorous disagreement over the merits of some accolades – more specifically the Coach of the Year.
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus – after being part of the World Cup-winning management team last year – took over the head coach role in 2024 and won the Rugby Championship, produced an 85 percent winning margin for the year, as the team reclaimed the No.1 ranking after briefly ‘lending it’ to Ireland.
Their two losses – to Ireland in July and Argentina in the Rugby Championship – were both by one point.
Despite the Boks’ dominance under Erasmus’ tutelage, it was Frenchman Jérôme Daret who walked away with the Coach of the Year award.
It was based, purely, on overseeing the team’s victory at the Olympics on home soil – Paris 2024.
Winning only two titles in the World Series, they were ranked fifth on the Sevens stage.
The Boks Office crew – Hanyani Shimange and the Springbok duo Schalk Burger and Jean De Villiers – gave their informed and respected views in the final episode of the year.
Burger said you can’t take anything away from Daret for winning the Olympics.
However, he felt Erasmus was more deserving.
“What more can he do?” Burger opined.
“Straight off the back of a World Cup win you have the most successful year of recent times.
“I don’t think he is a big favourite at World Rugby, to be honest.”
De Villiers pointed out that France finished fifth in the Sevens World Series.
“It is only based on the Olympics,” he said – adding that Antoine Dupont played a major role in the French win.
“How do they judge it? It is so difficult.
“As a coach, what can you do more?”
* Watch the Boks Office discussion below, or visit RugbyPass TV for the full episode!
