Is Rassie Erasmus the next Springbok coach?

Rassie Erasmus has shocked the Western Province Rugby Union (WPRU) by resigning from his position as director of coaching.

Erasmus's lawyer, Frikkie Erasmus, confirmed the news to Die Burger newspaper on Monday.

"Rassie is looking at other options. There are other choices, especially overseas," said Frikkie Erasmus.

Rassie Erasmus has already informed the Stormers' management team of his decision to quit.

Commenting on his reasons for leaving Erasmus said, “My job is largely done here and there is no doubt in my mind that Allister, Matt, Fleckie and the rest of the management and players have got what it takes to get there.There are a number of new opportunities that have surfaced at a higher level and I am currently considering my options. Each is an exciting and massive new challenge, and that is a big attraction to me at this stage of my career. In the interim I have offered to continue to assist at Province whenever required. I have enjoyed my time here in the Cape immensely and feel that I have contributed to facilitating building the structures that have taken us to the brink of success. I have no doubt that that success is but a tiny step away now and I leave Province satisfied with the strides made. I am grateful to Province for the opportunity and Newlands, The Stormers, WP and the Faithful will always have a special place in my heart.”

After stating that he was still happy at Province and had no intention of coaching the springboks, this is the first titbit of news about any South African "possible candidate".

Does anyone know of any other nations that might consider him?

England?

Hell, I hope not.

I would doubt it actually. I sense that England may turn away from their recent flirtation with foreign born playing resources and iconic former playing coaches.

Am I mistaken or was he not involved with the "secret world cup training camp"?

Have Italy appointed a replacement for Mallet yet? England or South Africa. Then again the French coaching round about might appeal to him.

Agreed - I suspect England will go for a coach more familiar with the English game, perhaps one with coaching experience this time round.

If Scotland have a poor 6 Nations Andy Robinson could be in trouble, and I'm not sure how secure Declan Kidney's job is at the moment. A poor 6 Nations could be interesting - although I note that both are on long contracts.

I would imagine it's the Bok job he has in mind, but perhaps there could be some top club positions in the back of his mind - maybe in France.

formerly known as Sam wrote:Have Italy appointed a replacement for Mallet yet? England or South Africa. Then again the French coaching round about might appeal to him.

They took Perpignan's coach over the summer

How about Biaritz? The French currently have oodles of cash and they seriously need a pick me up otherwise being outside the T14 next season is a distinct possibility.

'Is Rassie Erasmus the next Springbok coach?'

With a name like that, he should be! That name is designed for the history books.

If its not an international job, I'd bet some of the French clubs have been sniffing around, it will be interesting to see what happens.

So does this mean Robbie Fleck will be taking a step up?

Well hes called it a higher level so I wouldnt think a NH club would be that- unless he meant a higher level of...'money'...

Timing is perfect to be available for the new job and can't see him being a second to anyone.

Where there's smoke there's usually fire in sport these days.

The alternative might be hes been told hes not made the cut and has a back up offer on the cards- England? who perhaps chose a caretaker to get the team into training pending Erasmus availability.

Business Day, Zeena Isaacs


RASSIE Erasmus’s lawyer Frikkie Erasmus moved swiftly to dispel rumours yesterday that the former Springbok had resigned suddenly from the Western Province Rugby Union in order to join the Springbok coaching team, and said they would travel overseas tomorrow to explore job opportunities.


Erasmus resigned as senior professional coach, leading to speculation that he could either replace Peter de Villiers as the national coach or take up a position as a high performance manager at the South African Rugby Union.

The union will announce the new Bok coach later this month, but apart from saying it would head-hunt possible candidates rather than call for applications and that De Villiers would be on the short list by virtue of having been the former coach, the organisation has remained mum about the process.

However, former Springbok forwards coach Gert Smal — who recently extended his contract as Ireland’s forwards coach — and SA’s first Super 14-winning coach Heyneke Meyer, are rumoured to be the favourites to occupy the job.

But given Erasmus’s vast rugby knowledge and coaching experience as a former Cheetahs and Stormers coach, as well as a technical consultant for the Springboks at last year’s Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, it would not come as a surprise if he were to be named the Springbok coach.

Erasmus’s lawyer, however, was convinced the Springbok coaching job did not appear to be an option for his client. The union ” has not contacted Rassie yet … there are a few options overseas, so he and I will depart for Europe later this week and return late next week, and then we will weigh up his options”.

While his lawyer refused to divulge details about these options because of the sensitive nature of the talks with the respective teams, the England coaching job could be a possibility. It is the only high-profile coaching position in Europe which has yet to be filled permanently.

supersport.com – Gavin Rich

There was a sense of savage irony to the timing of Rassie Erasmus’s exit from Western Province rugby. It throws an early spotlight onto a subject which, if the game is to grow and flourish both in the Cape and wider South Africa, demands close scrutiny this year.

Understandably, the question relating to the identity of the next Springbok coach is the January rugby topic of conversation. It became that when the administration dragged their heels on the appointment and postponed the announcement until a full month after their New Zealand counterparts had done the same.

But shouldn’t the focus instead be on who appoints the coaches and employs them? At the start of this new four-year cycle up to the next World Cup, shouldn’t a bigger stress also be placed on sweeping away the uncomfortable situation that develops when you have amateur administrators making key decisions that impact on a professional game?

One of the best points that Victor Matfield made in his book, My Journey, related to the paucity of true professional rugby people in the administration of the sport. Unfortunately, Victor stopped short of making it the big issue it may need to become if the sport he loves is going to ever reach its full potential.

It’s now nearly two decades since rugby became a professional sport. But in this country too much power, both at provincial and national level, is still vested in amateur office bearers who do not work full-time in the sport and thus are not as conversant in the trends and needs of the modern game as they should be.

Many of the amateur administrators are well-meaning, and yes, they give off a lot of their time to serve the sport. It is a fact though that in 2012 professional rugby operates in a different world to the club level that spawns them.

And a successful professional rugby concern is never going to grow out of the petty infighting among amateur officials that continues to blight WP rugby in particular but which, for a long time, has done the same at national level.

Those who work on the professional side of WP rugby know they need to start ducking in the year when there is an election for amateur office-bearers. In recent seasons it has not been unusual for prospective office-bearers to do their electioneering by slamming their own coaches through the media in a quest for populist appeal.

Having gotten wind of the clashes that were taking place behind the scenes at WP before Christmas I expected there to be an explosion sometime after my return from summer holidays, but I never expected it to happen quite this quickly.

Of course the WP marketing people, in confirming the Erasmus resignation, have put a positive spin on everything. The official line is that Erasmus is looking for a future elsewhere, but that is bunk, just as the theory that Erasmus and Allister Coetzee don’t get on is also bunk. Erasmus and Coetzee did have a small fall-out around the time of the 2010 Currie Cup final, but that was sorted out ages ago and they have worked well together in the past year.

Those who know Erasmus and the passion he had for his chosen mission to make WP a champion union will rightfully heap scorn on any suggestion that, after taking the Stormers from 11th in the Super 12 (the year before he arrived) to second in Super Rugby in two in consecutive seasons he would suddenly decide to leave.

He was pushed by people who made his job untenable, in the same way that England coach-elect Nick Mallett, when he was WP coaching director, was also pushed by the same people. If, as expected, Mallett takes over at England, don’t be too surprised if he approaches Erasmus to be his technical analyst. That’s how highly he rates him.

Gert Smal, who could soon be the new Springbok coach, is another who fell foul of the same group of administrators. So the question is – if these people can be so highly rated elsewhere, why are they not good enough for WP? But then maybe the question should instead be directed at why after 11 years of trophy drought in the Western Cape it is only coaches who get scrutinised and not the people and the system that employs them…

But shouldn’t the focus instead be on who appoints the coaches and employs them?

Biltong, in the short time I've been reading your posts, I'm pretty sure it should
be you who is in charge of appointing a new Spingbok coach.

Rassie Erasmus frightens me,After seeing the turnaround in the Springboks after he coached them for 1 week in August,imgagine what he could do if he had them for 52.

Laurie just because of that you have nothing to fear.

SARU in their ignorance will not appoint him, I will be very surprised f they do.

Rassie has always been very innovative and looking for new ethods of doing things. If he was appointed we will have the best chance of seeing a different bok side, playing a different game, and I think SARU is far too conservative for that.

Of all the SA local coaches he is my choice after John Mitchell and Nick Mallet.

miteyironpaw wrote:

But shouldn’t the focus instead be on who appoints the coaches and employs them?

Biltong, in the short time I've been reading your posts, I'm pretty sure it should
be you who is in charge of appointing a new Spingbok coach.

Yeah, I wish.

Biltong
When PDV applied for the coaching job in the first place,that couldnt have been anything more than a wish. So go on put your name in the hat.

I am not the right shade of green mate.