Coaching dynamic may be Springboks’ most important combination before 2027 RWC

The Springboks have dominated Test rugby for the past three seasons. During this period, Pieter-Steph du Toit (twice) and Malcolm Marx have been recognised with World Rugby Player of the Year awards, while the South African coaches have been consistently snubbed by the game’s governing body.

Back in 2023, Jacques Nienaber became only the second coach since the advent of the awards in 2001 to miss out the Coach of the Year accolade after winning a World Cup.

More recently, Rassie Erasmus — the architect of the South African rugby revival and the man behind a series of innovations that have propelled the Boks to unprecedented heights — has been overlooked, despite guiding the national side to 22 wins in 26 Tests over the past two seasons.

France Sevens coach Jérôme Daret was named Coach of the Year after Les Bleus won gold at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, while England Women’s coach John Mitchell received the accolade after steering his side to the 2025 World Cup title this past September.

Daret and Mitchell are certainly worthy recipients of a Coach of the Year accolade, and it’s worth noting that World Rugby recognised the respective achievers — players, coaches, referees — across the respective genders and codes for 20 consecutive years.

Since 2021, World Rugby has recognised one coaching recipient across the genders and codes, while continuing to award individual men and women across all 15s and Sevens categories.

The move has baffled stakeholders across the board, and lent substance to the conspiracy theory that World Rugby has never forgiven Erasmus for his actions during the 2021 British & Irish Lions tour, which involved a savage assessment of referee Nic Berry in the wake of the first Test.

Setting the trends

Whether you believe that or not, there doesn’t seem to be a logical explanation for why the awards are structured one way for the coaches and another for the players.

Like Daret and Mitchell, Erasmus deserved to be recognised for what he’s achieved with his team in 2024 and 2025.

Even if the Boks crack on in the next two years and World Rugby is forced to swallow its pride by giving Erasmus the prize, the governing body cannot be excused for getting it so wrong in recent times.

Erasmus guided the Boks to an 86% win record this season, a run that included a successful and historic defence of the Rugby Championship title as well as emphatic victories over Six Nations champions France and another northern powerhouse in Ireland — both away from home.

And they’ve led the way in more ways than one. Erasmus’ Bomb Squad strategy has been copied and pasted by the French as well as the English in recent seasons, while his split-squad policy has encouraged many teams to revise their management strategies in order to mitigate player-welfare challenges.

The big question is whether World Rugby can continue this dance indefinitely.

While there’s been talk of the Boks hitting their peak some two years before the 2027 World Cup, there’s evidence to suggest they will be at their very best at the next global tournament in Australia.

Will Erasmus be denied the award again if the Boks complete a World Cup hat-trick in 2027? It’s possible, but there’s another question to consider, one that will add another dimension to an existing debate.

GOAT debate: Erasmus vs Hansen

Since the Boks won their second consecutive World Cup in 2023, fans and media have wondered where they stand in relation to the great All Blacks side of the 2010s.

Comparisons have been drawn between legendary players and combinations, but two years on from France — and 22 Test victories later — and it’s fair to suggest that the debate should extend to the coaches of those dominant teams, namely Steve Hansen and Erasmus.

The All Blacks won 87% of their Tests under Hansen between 2012 and 2019, while the Boks — who took some time to rebuild after the nightmare of 2016 and 2017 — have won 73% of their fixtures since 2018.

Erasmus has been heavily involved with the Boks as a director of rugby and coach over the past eight years, but his official record as head coach across two separate stints currently stands at 75%.

Few would have believed it possible back in 2018, but Erasmus and the Boks side are getting closer to the level of domination achieved by Hansen and that great All Blacks team, as the stats confirm.

And if the Boks succeed in 2027 where the All Blacks failed in 2019 by winning a third consecutive World Cup, the debate will be settled once and for all.

Bok coaching dream team

Erasmus is expected to extend his contract with the Boks to 2031, and may bring his current backroom staff along for the ride.

That Erasmus has been planning for 2027 and beyond in recent seasons has been plain to see. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Ethan Hooker, Canan Moodie and Jan-Hendrik Wessels are all under the age of 25. While these youngsters should be a force at RWC 2027, they may only reach the peak of their powers by the next World Cup in 2031.

A few of the Junior Boks who won the World Rugby U20 Championship earlier this season have already been exposed to the senior systems, following Erasmus’ invitation to train with the Bok squad before the tour of Europe.

By 2031, the names of Bathobele Hlekani, Cheswill Jooste and Haashim Pead may be as prominent as Pieter-Steph du Toit, Cheslin Kolbe and Cobus Reinach.

Contract negotiations between the coaches and SA Rugby are ongoing, and Erasmus is right to fight for arguably the most important combination in the wider group.

There have been a few changes since 2018, but the current mix is clearly getting the best out of grizzled veterans and international rookies alike.

Erasmus remains the key, but every individual member of that coaching staff is worthy of high praise following an unforgettable season where the stats were almost as impressive as the results.

The Boks averaged 41 points and 5.8 tries across the 14 Tests this season, while managing to limit opponents to 17 points and two tries. They shattered internal records for the most points in a season, and finished ahead of every other tier-one nation across key attacking metrics.

Attack coach Tony Brown will feel vindicated that “Tonyball” is working and that the players have bought into his shape and philosophy, while defence coach Jerry Flannery will be satisfied that the push to play with more width and tempo hasn’t compromised the team’s quest for defensive excellence.

The latter is a self-confessed disciple of Jacques Nienaber — the pair worked together at Munster in 2016 and 2017 — and has certainly added value since Nienaber’s departure for Leinster in 2023.

Erasmus often jokes whether a scrum coach is worthy of a full-time salary, but Daan Human will have cause to demand a raise following the Boks’ dominant showings in 2025.

Deon Davids and Duane Vermeulen — one of the newer recruits following his retirement in 2023 — deserve credit for boosting the team in areas such as the line-out, maul and breakdown.

The Boks were already the fittest team on the planet when Andy Edwards replaced Aled Walters in 2020, but have found another gear in recent years while embracing a more ambitious style of play.

“Off-the-ball” specialist Mzwandile Stick has driven the work rate and raised the standards in the kick-chase department. The Boks put boot to ball more often this season and retrieved an average of six kicks a match — arguably their most significant improvement given the current laws.

Those close to the team feel that Felix Jones has added another layer of detail since rejoining the team this season, after a stint with England in 2024. Jones is a tireless worker who sees weaknesses in the opposition that many others miss.

There’s a chance that Erasmus may add to that already stacked contingent before 2027, but one thing’s for certain, it’s unlikely to get any weaker.

By the time they get to the World Cup, Erasmus and Stick will have been in the group for a decade, Jones, Davids and Edwards for eight years, and Brown, Flannery and Vermeulen for four.

While Erasmus has gone out of his way to strike a balance between older and younger players in his squad, the mix above points to a similar quest for equilibrium within the coaching group. The more established members have been working and perfecting the system and game plan for the better part of a decade, while the newer staff have brought fresh ideas to the table.

World Rugby may continue to ignore what Erasmus has achieved and built with this Bok side, but could be forced to revise their decision if the most balanced and complete South African group in history goes where no team has gone before in 2027. DM