The Springboks and Rassie Erasmus have just celebrated winning the Rugby Championship once again, and all indications suggest that they enjoyed those celebrations until the early hours of the morning.
Since then, the squad has now broken up as some players returned to South Africa, while several others have joined their respective clubs overseas. Others will have a brief period of rest.
After some time off, the Springbok coaches will quickly start preparing for the end-of-year tour against Japan, France, Italy, Ireland, and Wales on their five-match tour to Europe and the UK in November.
Although this will be a huge priority, it is also expected that SA Rugby will look to sit down with Rassie Erasmus to accelerate contract negotiations.
Although Erasmus remains under contract until at least the 2027 World Cup, there is believed to be understandable interest from others clubs and countries who would love to tempt him away from the Springboks after the next global showpiece.
However, SA Rugby unsurprisingly view it as an urgent priority to successfully negotiate a contract extension with Erasmus now that the Rugby Championship has concluded, and attention can turn to this sort of paper work.
The Springboks and Rassie Erasmus have enjoyed an incredible period of success
A key factor in the negotiations is reportedly set to revolve around the fact that Erasmus would also want to ensure he can retain the services of his trusted coaching staff, but one wouldn’t imagine that this will be a deal-breaker.
Erasmus’ loyalty to the Springboks is unquestionable, and if all terms can be met, SA Rugby could soon wrap up a contract extension for him to remain with the national side until after the 2031 World Cup in the USA, which would complete an unprecedented period of coaching continuity.
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
