Johan Erasmus is his real name, but in South Africa and the rest of the world, he will always be known as Rassie, the man behind the transformation in the South African Springbok team. Over the past two years, the Springboks have gone through a process of change, a process where they are now freed from the mental shackles in the game. Their current performance thus far in the RWC is a true testimony of the results of when a team with talent and a coach with excellent skills come together, and greatness is born once again.
Early Life
The 47-year-old Erasmus is a child from Despatch in the Eastern Cape. He entered into elite rugby playing for the Free State during the 1994 Currie Cup. For the next couple of years, he kept on developing in his position as loose forward playing for his province. During 1997 he played in the Free State’s debut season in the Super 12 Season and later that same year he received his green and gold jersey, representing South Africa in the tour of the British Lions to South Africa.
Leadership Positions
During 2004 Erasmus returned to the Free State Cheetahs, but this time around as their coach, preparing the team for the Vodacom Cup. Here his skills as coach showed early on as his team made it to the semi-finals, only being defeated by the Blue Bulls. During the next year, the Cheetahs made it all the way, winning the Currie Cup for the first time in nearly 30 years. During 2007 he had a short stint at the Springbok team as a technical advisor before the World Cup and then moved to the Western Cape as director of rugby. He prepared the Stormers for the Super 14 Season in 2008 as their head coach, taking them from 10th to 5th position in the ranks.
In 2016 Erasmus left South Africa to fulfil the position of Director of Rugby in Ireland at Munster for a period of three-years. After the death of their head coach, Erasmus took on the job as both coach and director for the remainder of that season. His success in Ireland won him the award of Pro12 Coach of the season in 2016-17. December of that year, Erasmus returned home and became the first time Director of Rugby for SARU. After the head coach of the Springboks, Alistair Coetzee was fired early in 2018, Erasmus took over as head coach to prepare the Springboks for the World Cup.
Springbok Success
The Springboks are once again back in international rugby as a force to reckon with. Some of the great attributes which the team appreciates about him are his open and honest way of management, earning their trust and the in-depth knowledge which he has of every player on the side. Rassie is making South Africa proud. Although he made it clear that he will only be coaching the team until after the tournament, rugby fans in South Africa are enjoying the moment for as long as that it lasts.
