SA Rugby CEO Rian Oberholzer has revealed that Rassie Erasmus’ eventual successor as Springbok head coach will likely come from within the current setup.
Erasmus recently signed a contract extension through to the 2031 World Cup in the USA, but the national body already has a succession plan in motion for when the director of rugby eventually steps aside after 13 years at the helm.
Speaking to the SABC, Oberholzer confirmed that SA Rugby has abandoned its previous policy of four-year coaching cycles tied to World Cup tournaments – a model used during the tenures of Jake White, Peter de Villiers and Heyneke Meyer.
“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 approach mirrors what happened in 2020 when Jacques Nienaber seamlessly transitioned from assistant to head coach under Erasmus, inheriting a well-oiled machine before eventually departing for Leinster.
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Oberholzer stressed that succession planning extends beyond just the Boks.
“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.
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