Bok 'supergroup' continues to evolve
OPINION: The appointment of Felix Jones highlights the scale of the Springboks’ tactical ambition ahead of a potentially monumental 2025 Test season.
When news broke last week about Jones’ return to the Bok setup, some playfully suggested that Rassie Erasmus was getting the band back together.
The official South African Rugby Union media release, however, put the move into perspective.
Erasmus has no intention of reviving an old band and perpetuating an outdated formula.
If anything, the Bok boss appears hellbent on building a supergroup, with the aim of producing a new sound that challenges industry conventions as well as perceptions held by critics and fans.
It’s worth revisiting what Erasmus has built to date.
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So much has been made about the strategies he has implemented over the past eight years to bolster the Boks’ player depth – and rightly so.
But Erasmus also deserves credit for developing a world-class coaching staff, and the current unit boasts more members and expertise than in previous seasons.
Back in 2018, the coaching team was smaller, yet stacked with potential.
Jacques Nienaber ran the defence and Swys de Bruin handled the attack, while Matt Proudfoot and Erasmus shared the forwards portfolio.
Mzwandile Stick played a key role as an ‘off-the-ball’ coach, and conditioning guru Aled Walters set the platform for an unprecedented level of performance.
The team suffered a setback on the eve of the 2019 World Cup, after De Bruin quit for personal reasons.
Instead of seeking out a like-for-like attack coach with a similar level of experience, Erasmus took a chance on a rookie with an eye for detail.
Erasmus and Nienaber had worked with Jones at Munster between 2016 and 2017, and felt that he had the intelligence, work ethic and communication skills to make a telling contribution at the Boks.
After the Boks won the 2019 World Cup, Erasmus started to add more layers to the coaching team.
With Erasmus focusing on his Director or Rugby duties, Nienaber took the head coach reins, and Jones was given more responsibility within the set-up.
After Proudfoot left to pursue an opportunity with England, Deon Davids took charge of the forwards while Daan Human was recruited as a scrum specialist.
Another industry leader, Andy Edwards replaced the outgoing Walters as head of athletic performance.
The Boks beat the British & Irish Lions in 2021 and went on to defend their world title in 2023.
After the latter tournament, Nienaber took up a coaching position with Leinster and Jones with England.
By then, Erasmus was already anticipating a change in the game – in terms of how it’s played and refereed.
With that shift in mind, he replaced Jones and Nienaber with Tony Brown and Jerry Flannery.
The appointment of the former raised more eyebrows than the recruitment of the latter, as Flannery had worked previously with Erasmus during his time at Munster.
Erasmus expanded the coaching group further to include former referee Jaco Peyper as a laws advisor as well as the double World Cup-winner Duane Vermeulen.
As was the case with initial appointment of Jones in 2019, Vermeulen was tapped for his knowledge of the modern game as well as his ability to communicate with the players.
The Boks went on to win 11 out of 13 Tests in 2024 by playing a balanced brand of rugby.
The stats (an average of 35 points and 4.4 tries per game) highlighted their attacking progression, while their defence and scrum continued to operate at an exceptional standard. Their discipline improved, as did their relationship with referees and officials.
While Erasmus was reaping the benefits of those savvy coaching appointments, the England coaching team was falling apart.
Walters and Jones left the England coaching set-up, with the former linking up with Ireland. There was speculation that Jones might join Andy Farrell on the British & Irish Lions coaching ticket ahead of the 2025 tour to Australia.
Since the end of the 2023 World Cup, there have been rumours that Jones – and even Nienaber – might rejoin the Boks at some point ahead of the 2027 global tournament. For the better part of 18 months, many have wondered who Jones and Nienaber might replace in the current Bok set-up if rumour became reality.
Last week, when Erasmus confirmed that Jones had rejoined the Boks, he also confirmed the management team for the 2025 season.
A quick scan of that list revealed that Jones was an addition rather than a replacement, and that the Boks will head into the new season with a larger coaching team than before.
Jones has already served alongside most of these coaches, and that will make for a smooth reintegration.
As Erasmus himself has suggested, the former England defence coach may have some intel to share with his Bok colleagues regarding the northern-hemisphere teams, before South Africa play sides like Italy, France, Ireland and Wales later this year.
One thing’s for certain, the appointment of Jones isn’t going to make the Boks any weaker.
There were doubts about Brown’s appointment at the start of last season, as well as the overriding decision to marry the Kiwi’s all-court attacking philosophy with Erasmus’ tried and tested territorial approach.
Ultimately, the Boks struck a potent balance, and the fears about Brown’s influence were unfounded.
There will be more questions in the wake of Jones’ appointment, with some wondering whether there are too many cooks in the Bok coaching kitchen.
The supergroup comparison feels more apt.
2024 was a monumental season for the Boks, but if Erasmus can harness the strengths of Brown, Jones and others within the set-up, this team may scale greater heights in terms of results and performance in the coming months.
@rugby365com
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