Three things Erasmus must fix to turn Springbok ship around

The worst kept secret in SA Rugby has been confirmed with Rassie Erasmus becoming the new Springbok coach and signing a contract that takes him through until the World Cup in France, 2023.

SA Rugby stated that Erasmus would combine his Springbok coaching duties with his current role as Director of Rugby at SA Rugby.

SA Rugby CEO Jurie Roux said “The Springbok team is our flagship brand and the on-field performances have a direct impact on the business of SA Rugby.” This is a key statement as income from sponsorship, ticket sales, Springbok merchandise and TV & commercial discussions all take a hit when the Springbok side is performing poorly.

While it is not quite the “ambulance job” from a timing point of view that World Cup winning coach Kitch Christie had in 1995, time is on not Erasmus’ side for Japan. There are approximately 18 Test matches and 18 months to turn the once mighty Springboks around for the showpiece event in the Far East.

BREAKING! Rassie Erasmus will spearhead a streamlined but experienced Springbok management team until the end of the 2023 Rugby World Cup and will combine his Springbok coaching duties with his current role as Director of Rugby at SA Rugby. pic.twitter.com/rMCc7dPPL5

— South African Rugby (@Springboks) March 1, 2018

British & Irish Lions great Brian O’Driscoll thinks that the Springboks could be a force come Japan and stated, “We’re 18 months out … there is still a lot of rugby to be played in that time. In Test rugby it takes a while to change and to build sides, but there is still time on South Africa and Australia’s side.”

SA Rugby has not been in a healthy place from a results point of view lately, the Springboks under Allister Coetzee’s reign were only able to win 11 from 25 Test matches for a 44% win record.

While the results over the last two seasons have been far from ideal, not all the blame can be laid at Coetzee’s feet.

Erasmus, the former Director of Rugby at Munster had a successful stint in Ireland and will be looking to replicate this for the men in “Green and Gold”.

Here we look at 3 things that the former Springbok flanker must do to be successful in the coaches’ box.

Captain

It is vital for all teams that a coach, his captain and the leadership group are on the same page. The most successful rugby sides have coaches and captains that are aligned in their thinking, Henry and McCaw, Christie and Pienaar, Woodward and Johnson to name a few.

There has been a thought process that the Springbok captain needs to be based locally in South Africa. Whether this is a from a loyalty point of view or from an ease of accessibility and form monitoring, SA Rugby seem to prefer this route of thinking.

The new Springbok coach has been out of the provincial set-up in South Africa for long enough to think that there will be no bias towards any specific province and their captain, which is a great start.

The most important factor should be that your captain is an ever-present and makes the side on form, it is key that there are no questions about whether he deserves his place.

There seems to be four strong candidates whose names are being bandied around, these are Duane Vermeulen, Warren Whiteley, Siya Kolisi and Eben Etzebeth. All of them have strong claims for the job.

There is also a challenge with all four candidates however. There is no confirmation that Vermeulen will be based in South Africa any time soon. The loose trio is still not settled and will Whiteley and Kolisi be definite starters or even finishers when captaincy is key in the last 15 minutes. Lastly, the required grunt and aggression of Etzebeth seems to be blunted by the captaincy and the Springboks need him to be the enforcer in the pack.

There could be a bolter and Erasmus could go for an inexperienced captain or younger player – Handre Pollard comes to mind. It is essential that there are some experienced heads surrounding a “newbie” if they go down this route. A challenge with this option is that if results aren’t going the team’s way it could place even more pressure on an inexperienced leader.

Overseas-based Players

From 1 July 2017, only overseas-based South African players with 30 or more Test caps were eligible for Springbok selection. SA Rugby president Mark Alexander stated, “We are sending a message to young players that if they wish to play for the Springboks, they must remain in South Africa.”

This ruling was significant as there are approximately over 300 foreign-based players in Europe alone.

The Springbok coach meanwhile retains the right in a Rugby World Cup year to select any player he believes is vital to tournament success regardless of the number of caps.

Firstly, Erasmus in conjunction with SA Rugby needs to decide if the 30-cap ruling is relevant, why 30 caps? It seems like a thumb-suck and why does the ruling change in a World Cup year in what could be viewed as a “get out of jail free” card.

Challenges including a weak currency, turmoil in SA Rugby, poor results and uncertainty around selection policy are all driving factors in players plying their trade overseas.

There is absolutely no doubt that overseas-based players will add a huge amount of value. Firstly and most importantly from a quality point of view, extremely good players like Duane Vermeulen, Francois Louw, Francois Steyn, JP Pietersen and Pat Lambie to name a few cannot be sniffed at.

Furthermore the experience they can add to the team and to those around them would be immeasurable. The likes of Bismarck Du Plessis working with Malcolm Marx, Bryan Habana assisting Dillyn Leyds could only be a good thing. These players do not necessarily need to start but to be part of the larger squad would be hugely beneficial.

These players would also provide knowledge and inside information from a foreign environment and opposition point of view, which would be another plus.

Players below the 30-cap mark could add further depth to the Springboks cause. The likes of Vincent Koch, Cheslin Kolbe and Michael Rhodes have proved to be outstanding in Europe and deserve a crack on the international stage.

The overseas-based players selection is the most important issue that needs to be addressed. Erasmus could alleviate many problems for SA Rugby immediately and going forward through effective communication to SA-based and overseas-based players that would make them feel more comfortable and part of the national set-up.

Selection – Spine of the Team

As all rugby fans know the spine of the team is hooker, No 8, scrumhalf, fly-half and fullback and the side is built around these players.

The 45 year-old Erasmus needs to bed down these positions from a selection point of view and the sooner the better.

There is no doubt that Malcolm Marx is a shoe-in for the hooker berth, he is one of the most exciting young players on the planet, recently picking up the SA Rugby Player of the Year award. There remains a question over his back up, is this where a player like Bismarck Du Plessis could add value.

No 8 is a position where there are two quality options available in the form of Duane Vermeulen and Warren Whiteley. The loose trio is all about combinations and it depends what you want from your No 8 that could determine which one of these two wears the No 8 jersey. There is a feeling that Vermeulen could move to blindside with Whiteley starting at the base of the scrum.

Scrumhalf is a position where the Springboks have been blessed since isolation. Joost Van Der Westhuizen and Fourie Du Preez both wore the Bok jersey for a decade with aplomb and there was no debate as to their abilities. The No 9 jersey has proved to be an issue since Du Preez’s retirement with players like Cobus Reinach, Francois Hougaard and Ross Cronje among others all having a crack in the Test jersey. Not one has made the position his own and it is a massive concern from a selection point of view.

There has been a merry-go-round for the last couple of years in terms of fly-half. Handre Pollard is an exceptionally talented rugby player who has had his injury problems but looks likely to fill the position. Elton Jantjies has proved to be a bit inconsistent but it must be said is capable on his day, he would probably be better positioned to play off the bench. A special mention for Damian Willemse – watch this space, he is supremely talented and will be blooded in to the system whether at
fly-half or fullback.

The fullback position is also a concern however there are enough talented players to alleviate this issue. Incumbent Andries Coetzee has blown hot and cold from a form point of view. Willie Le Roux or Pat Lambie may get a run in the No 15 jersey, whoever is chosen needs a run of games to cement their place in the Test team. The two European-based players would seem to have the inside track at this point in time.

As can be seen from above there are currently more questions than answers and the new Springbok coach needs to get these positions nailed down as soon as possible with only approximately 18 Tests until the Rugby World Cup in Japan.