VIDEO: Why Rassie will keep 'winning formula'
South Africa coach Rassie Erasmus said, with one eye on the World Cup in Australia in 2027, he will persist this season with the successful rotation policy of last year.
With the British and Irish Lions touring Australia, World Champions South Africa will be able to ‘fly under the media radar’.
While the tour Down Under affords Erasmus a chance to ‘spy’ on the Wallabies ahead of the Rugby Championship, his focus is on repeating the success of 2024 – 11 wins from 13 starts for an 85 percent success rate and retaining the No. 1 ranking.
With some senior players coming to the end of their careers, there will be a significant measure of ‘rotation’ and the introduction of new players.
“Just because a player’s career will end in, say, 2026, and we are planning for the next World Cup [in 2027] that doesn’t mean I have to take caps away from them,” Erasmus told @rugby365com.
“Yes, we do have an eye on the World Cup.
“However, as the saying goes: ‘If you look too far ahead, you forget about the present.’
“We are going with the mindset of winning all the games.”
(WATCH as Springbok coach @RassieRugby explains to @king365ed his plans for the year, starting against the Barbarians in Cape Town later this month…..)
He made it clear he is not going to stick to a small core group of 25 or 27 players.
However, with a view to 2027, Erasmus plans to continue with the successful recipe of last year.
In 2024, Erasmus used 50 players in the Boks’ 13 Tests, capping 12 new players.
It also contributed to the longevity of some of the more senior statesmen.
That same approach is reflected in the first squad of 2025 – nine uncapped players in his 55-man squad for the season-opener against the Barbarians in Cape Town on Saturday, June 28.
That squad will be further reduced in the next week, also looking ahead to the July internationals – with back-to-back Tests against Italy in Pretoria and Port Elizabeth, July 5 and 12, followed by the one-off international against Georgia in Nelspruit a week later, July 19.
“We would like to do something similar to last year, where the senior players and some of the younger players contribute on the field,” Erasmus said.
“Hopefully, when we get to the next World Cup [2027], we have lots of players with 15 or more caps and not just one or two Tests.”
Erasmus was pleased with the first week of camp.
“It has been going well. A few of the younger players are still finding their feet, while the players who have been in the set-up in the last few years have been determined to show that they can maintain their form at this level.”
The Bok coach added that he would reduce the size of his squad next week after taking stock of any further injuries suffered in the United Rugby Championship Grand Final between the Bulls and Leinster at Croke Park in Dublin on Saturday.
“We will wait to see if there are any injuries from the URC Final and then announce the group of players on Sunday that will get together next week,” he said.
“That said, it doesn’t mean that those players are the only ones who will be in the mix this year.
“There are players who are returning from injury within the next few weeks and months, and we would definitely like to see some of the players who have been playing well get a chance this season.”
@king365ed
@rugby365com
