Though he may be taking some time off, South Africans will be grinning at Rassie Erasmus’s most recent tweet.
The trophy parade across South Africa demonstrated one more how much the victory meant to the nation, and the celebrations for the Springboks and Rassie Erasmus went on long after their thrilling victory in the World Cup last month.
The team’s achievements and their unification behind a common goal were greatly attributed to Erasmus’s role as rugby director.
Rassie’s 51st birthday was on Sunday, November 5, which made it an even more memorable day for him.
Erasmus took some time less than a week ago to upload a rare snapshot to X, which was then known as Twitter. Since then, he may have been able to have some downtime before going back to his director of rugby duties.
The photo, which was most likely taken at home, featured his cherished English bulldog next to a copy of the Webb Ellis Cup.
Yes, a few years prior Rassie had already gained some notoriety with his dog Frank after sharing a humorous video of him calling his “English” pet a “bully” and a “cheat” as they were playing in bed. He was also seen making fun of the dog in the video by implying that he was English rather than South African.
RASSIE SET TO COACH THE BOKS AGAIN
In addition to being confirmed earlier this year, SA Rugby has stated that they are not in a rush to replace current Springboks head coach Jacques Nienaber, who is set to leave his position after the 2023 World Cup in order to join Leinster in Ireland. Erasmus will take on this responsibility, at least in the interim.
There is no rush to replace Nienaber; instead, we will do the tour’s wash-up and discuss where we will go next, according to SA Rugby president Mark Alexander. “In the interim, we have Erasmus, the director of rugby, to take over that position. We are also giving the other coaches in the system some time to evaluate them before making a choice.
“We don’t have to rush into choosing a coach tomorrow. The programs can go on because we have adequate coverage. Because we are creating succession, we are also searching within.We are strengthening the organization’s capacity. If we are unable to locate the ideal candidate within [the] organization, we shall search outside of it.
Although Erasmus has a contract that runs until 2025, SA Rugby may want to extend it for the following four-year cycle.
“We will decide whether to hire a coach for the following year or perhaps the director of rugby will lead the team until the next World Cup based on how the succession plan appears and where we are in that planning.” We are not in a hurry to get things done.
ANOTHER NEW SPRINGBOKS COACH
As Nienaber prepares to put up his boots, Duane Vermeulen is apparently being considered to take over as defense coach.
In light of everything said above, SA Rugby earlier declared that Head of Athletic Performance Andy Edwards and three current Springbok assistant coaches, Mzwandile Stick, Deon Davids, and Daan Human, had all signed four-year contract extensions. They will stay with the squad as a result until the end of the Australian Rugby World Cup in 2027.
The two most experienced assistant coaches in the setup, Stick and Davids, are the clear front-runners to succeed Nienaber, and it has previously been said that the Springboks will almost certainly promote from within.
