SA Rugby drop big hint about Rassie’s successor

Rassie Erasmus was first appointed as Director of Rugby in 2018 and under his guidance, both SA Rugby and the Springboks have enjoyed a remarkable run of success.

Of course, the primary highlights revolve around the two successive Rugby World Cups titles won in 2019 and 2023, while the British & Irish Lions series triumph in 2021 is also right up there.

In 2024, Erasmus’ title changed to Springbok head coach, and he has not only overseen South Africa winning the Rugby Championship in the last two years, but they also finished the last three seasons as the top-ranked team in the world.

It’s why a Christmas present arrived early for all Springbok fans at the start of December when it was confirmed that Erasmus’ contract had been extended for a further four years.

However, his stint will surely come to an end after that period, when he will have been at the helm of the national side for over a decade.

SA Rugby already have a Rassie succession plan in mind

Speaking to the SABC, SA Rugby CEO Rian Oberholzer hinted that that Erasmus’ eventual successor will come from within the current setup.

“We are moving away from a cycle of coaches coaching for one World Cup cycle, and then we feel it’s important for them to change,” Oberholzer said.

“We are now in a process of seeing if it’s working and the coach is having success, it’s to keep him or her on for the next phase and in that period, bring the next coach through that will take over from them.

“That is all part of the next phase and the next series and period of time where we start to look at Rassie’s succession planning, but it’s not just about the men’s team. We have to look at the women’s, U20s, U18s and sevens,” he said.

As it stands, there is good reason to believe Mzwandile Stick could be a frontrunner for the top job after 2031, while Felix Jones could be another consideration.

SA Rugby also recently confirmed that an “announcement on the contract negotiations with other members of the Springbok coaching team will be made in due course”.

It now remains to be seen whether all of them will be retained through to 2031, but there is no doubt that Erasmus would want to keep working with the core of this group.

Current management team:

Head Coach: Rassie Erasmus
General Manager: Charles Wessels
Assistant Coaches: Tony Brown, Deon Davids, Jerry Flannery, Daan Human, Felix Jones, Mzwandile Stick
Mobi-Unit Coach: Duane Vermeulen 
Head of Athletic Performance: Andy Edwards 
Laws and Discipline Advisor: Jaco Peyper
Performance Analyst: Paddy Sullivan 
Technical Analyst: Lindsay Weyer
Sport Scientist: Sebastian Prim 
Team Doctor: Dr Jerome Lehlogonolo Mampane
Physiotherapists: Dr Anuerin Robyn, Lance Lemmetjies
Logistics Manager: JJ Fredericks 
Operations Manager: Zintsika Tashe
Media Manager: Zeena Isaacs van Tonder
Dietician: Robyn Moore