Rassie Erasmus insists that the Springboks aren’t out to make enemies, but that the world champions approach every opponent and Test fired up to “protect South Africa”.
Quoted in an article by UK newspaper The Guardian, the double World Cup-winning coach is on a mission to change global perceptions of the Boks, while maintaining the physical edge that has made them one of the world’s most successful rugby nations.
The 52-year-old Erasmus, who guided South Africa to World Cup glory in 2019 and 2023, believes his team is often misunderstood beyond their borders, despite their unprecedented success.
“It has been years, from the Bakkies Botha era, that we are bullies who don’t really care what people think,” he said. “But we do. I care what people think about the players because they are very good guys.”
The Boks’ recent achievements are remarkable: back-to-back World Cups, a British & Irish Lions series victory in 2021, and their first Rugby Championship title since 2019. Yet Erasmus feels the team’s image needs refinement.
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“If somebody doesn’t agree with something you are doing, you do listen to it and it doesn’t upset you but you think: ‘Sh**, as long as South Africans are happy,’” he explained. “But you don’t want to make other people unhappy. You don’t want people not to think you are stubborn. You don’t want people to think you are arrogant, especially if you know the characters in the team.”
Erasmus acknowledges the team’s use of external criticism as motivation but emphasises this shouldn’t be misinterpreted as hostility.
“It will always be personal,” he said. “A rugby match will always be personal for us. Why it’s personal is because we are representing South Africa. If somebody wants to challenge South Africa in a rugby match, it is our job to protect South Africa in that sense.”
The former Bok loose forward is particularly keen to address misconceptions about their physical approach: “When it becomes personal, the match, the individual challenge, our guys thrive. I don’t want this to sound like we want to make every side the enemy.
“That is what we are actually trying not to do. We play a really physical brand, but the players are definitely not these guys who just want to hate people.”
Photo: Juan Jose Gasparini/Gallo Images
The post Rassie: Boks make everything personal appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Src: sarugbymag.co.za
