Rassie contract talks on hold until the conclusion of the November tour due to…
Negotiations over Rassie Erasmus’ long-term future with the Springboks have been paused until the conclusion of the November tour.
The Bok boss’ current deal with SA Rugby runs through to the 2027 World Cup in Australia.
According to reporters, his lawyer, Frikkie Erasmus, is reportedly eager to secure an extension for him and his coaching team until 2031, when the tournament will be staged in the USA.
The 53-year-old has now been involved in 89 Tests with the Springboks as director of rugby and head coach since taking charge in 2018 – winning 64 of them (72%).
Saturday’s 32-17 victory against France in Paris marked his 50th Test as Bok head coach, just four shy of Jake White’s record of 54.
Talks between SA Rugby and Erasmus’ representatives began in earnest after the Boks defended the Rugby Championship title, but have since been placed on hold to allow the coaching group to focus on the five-match end-of-year.
“We hope to finalise it within a few days after the November Tests,” a source told Rapport.
The tactical reshuffle paid off. The Boks absorbed relentless French pressure and finished stronger, with Erasmus crediting both the bench and his coaching staff for executing the half-time plan to perfection.
“The guys who started probably softened up the opposition a little bit, and the bench came on to finish it,” Erasmus said.
“Manie [Libbok] came on and Sacha [Feinberg-Mngomezulu] moved to fullback – that worked well – so I thought everyone had a good impact, but that impact comes from the players understanding that it’s a 23-man effort. In our case it’s 34 guys on tour and I think the plans the coaches made at half time made it easier for the guys who came on.”
Despite being a man down, the Boks dominated the final 40 minutes – a display Erasmus said reflected their experience and unity.
“We desperately wanted to win this game,” he said. “I know France are ranked fifth in the world and people will say you’re ranked No 1 so you should beat the team ranked fifth.
“Playing here, the atmosphere – I think the French can be so proud of their supporters and for us it was intimidating, but luckily we’d been through this in 2018 or 2019, 2022 and again in 2023, so the experience of the players showed at half time.
“There was definitely not calmness, but making plans – mostly the assistant coaches and the players – and unfortunately some guys had to sacrifice. All credit to the whole group.”
The Boks now turn their attention to Italy, who come off an impressive 26-19 win over the Wallabies in Udine.
