Van Graan’s success in England highlights depth of SA coaching talent

Ten years ago, SA Rugby was looking to extend the Springbok coaching team’s contracts for another four-year cycle.

Even at that stage, there were whispers that a young and relatively green Johann van Graan might succeed head coach Heyneke Meyer after the 2019 World Cup, just as Steve Hansen – one of the most decorated coaches of all time – had succeeded Graham Henry after an eight-year stint as an All Blacks assistant.

Then the Boks lost to Japan in the 2015 World Cup pool match staged in Brighton.

While the team managed to rebound, losing 20-18 to the All Blacks in the semifinals, Meyer was forced out before the end of the year.

Van Graan was retained as an attack and forwards specialist by new coach Allister Coetzee, until the team suffered a series of embarrassing losses in 2016 and 2017.

SA Rugby recalled Rassie Erasmus from Ireland, and Erasmus recommended that Van Graan fill the void at Munster. After spending more than a decade as an assistant coach at the Bulls and Boks, Van Graan was finally at the helm of a major team.

Talk of the town

This story is about Erasmus as much as Van Graan, and about every other coach who expands their skillset and worldview after spending some time overseas.

By the time Erasmus left South Africa in 2016, he had already coached the Cheetahs and the Stormers.

By his own admission, he grew a great deal during his two-year stint at Munster, to the point where he had the tools to rebuild South African rugby in 2018 and lead the Boks to back-to-back World Cup titles in later years.

Meanwhile, Van Graan spent five challenging seasons with Munster, before accepting an offer to join Bath in 2022.

Bath were struggling to compete in the English Premiership at that stage, and there was some fierce opposition to the appointment of a South African coach.

Fortunately, the club’s owner Bruce Craig recognised Van Graan’s talent, and backed his vision to revive the west country club.

Fast forward to the present, where Van Graan is the talk of the town and Bath are the best team in England.

Having won over the skeptics with the signing of the world’s best attacking flyhalf Finn Russell, Van Graan has also made good on his promise to deliver results.

Since losing the Premiership final last year, Bath have won the relatively minor Premiership Rugby Cup and European Challenge Cup titles. In doing so, they have ended a 17-year wait for silverware.

Now there is talk of Bath completing “the treble”.

The Premiership final will be staged at Twickenham this Saturday, and Bath will face Leicester Tigers – who count Handré Pollard, one of Van Graan’s former protégés, among their ranks.

Bath haven’t won the Premiership since 1996, and it’s fair to say that this title matters a great deal more than the other two.

Speak to the people on the ground, and they will tell you how Van Graan has transformed the club with his tactical innovations and values, and how the team’s success has had an impact on a rugby-mad city.

Win or lose this Saturday, there’s bound to be a documentary along the lines of Chasing the Sun in the works, as Bath’s rise from the bottom to the top of the Prem is one hell of a story.

What’s more, the South African rugby community is starting to take note.

Suddenly Van Graan is being touted as a potential successor to Erasmus. The Bok coach’s contract expires after the 2027 World Cup, and it’s unclear whether he will push on for another four years.

Van Graan is committed to Bath until 2030 – but has spoken about his dream to coach the Boks, and if the opportunity arose, he probably wouldn’t turn it down.

Given all he’s learnt and achieved over the past two decades, the Boks would be lucky to have him.

Wider coaching pool stronger than ever

While some of the local franchises are struggling for results, the wider coaching pool is deeper and stronger than ever.

On the same day that Van Graan leads Bath into battle against Leicester, two former Bok coaches will go head-to-head in the United Rugby Championship final in Dublin.

Like Erasmus, Jacques Nienaber has given a lot to South African rugby over the years.

After taking on the role of head coach in 2020, Nienaber– along with Erasmus – led the Boks to a series victory against the British & Irish Lions and to a second consecutive World Cup title.

Following the victory in 2023, he took up a new coaching challenge with Leinster, one of the leading clubs in world rugby.

There are rumours that Nienaber may return to the Bok set-up in the coming years, and again, the team would be lucky to have him.

Having spent a few years in the Irish system and a lot closer to other leading teams in Europe, Nienaber will have valuable information to share with a South African group that is looking to evolve.

Jake White, another World Cup-winning coach, doesn’t get enough credit for what he’s done at the Bulls over the past five years.

While the Bulls are the most successful South African franchise in history, there was a period in the mid-to-late 2010s when the entire organisation was in free-fall.

An equity deal with Johann Rupert and Patrice Motsepe was an important step forward, but it took a seasoned director of rugby to rebuild the structures and team culture.

Resources matter in professional sport, and there will always be a comparison between the haves and have-nots.

What’s interesting, of course, is a comparison between two of the richer South African franchises – the Bulls and Sharks. One cannot help but look at the two squads and their contrasting results over the past few seasons, and conclude that the Bulls have the better coaching and organisational set-up.

Spoiled for choice

Erasmus enjoyed brief stints with the Bok coaching group in 2007 and 2011, before taking on a full-time post in 2018. By the end of the 2027 World Cup, he will have been in the job for 10 consecutive years – and may look beyond the Boks for a new challenge.

The big question is whether SA Rugby will promote a head coach from within their present structures, or appoint another candidate who is excelling at home or abroad.

There was some speculation about Mzwandile Stick or Deon Davids succeeding Nienaber after the 2023 World Cup, before Erasmus confirmed that he would be stepping down as director of rugby to focus on the head coach role.

Stick and Davids both coached in South Africa prior to joining the Bok set-up, and have spent a lot of time in the current system. As was the case with Hansen succeeding Henry at the All Blacks in 2012, one of these coaches may succeed Erasmus in 2028, if SA Rugby is looking for a seamless transition.

When one considers how Erasmus himself came to the position after working with Munster, and how the likes of Nienaber, Van Graan, White and others broadened their horizons since their first experience with the Boks, an external candidate may be the better option.

Johan Ackermann rebuilt the Lions from the ground up in the 2010s, before pursuing opportunities in England and Japan. Franco Smith coached the Cheetahs and was part of the Bok set-up in 2017, and has since gone on to coach Italy and the Glasgow Warriors (who won the 2024 United Rugby Championship).

Perhaps the fact that the Boks have so many options is the point.

It was only two years ago, when there were reports about Erasmus exploring a coaching opportunity with the England national team, that the local community was faced with the uncomfortable truth.

Erasmus won’t be around forever, and he cannot be replaced.

Much has changed since then, however, and when you look at the number and indeed the quality of candidates, you’re inclined to believe that – whatever the choice – the future of South African rugby will be in capable hands. DM