Where does Rassie Erasmus rank as Springbok coach?

There have been four Springbok coaches who have engineered a path to Rugby World Cup glory for South Africa, but which has the best Test match win percentage?

To date, three coaches have managed to maintain ‘perfect’ records as Springbok head honcho, but the trio all had relatively short stints in charge.

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Butch Lochner and Felix du Plessis both coached the Springboks for one match in 1960 and 1964, respectively, in an age where the very notion of coaching was anathema to some in the rugby union community.

Kitch Christie was given his Rugby World Cup brief in 1994 after Ian McIntosh led the Springboks on a disastrous tour of New Zealand that saw them fail to win a Test.

Christie executed that brief expertly, building his team for the 1995 Rugby World Cup around a core group of Lions players that he knew well led by Francois Pienaar.

Jacques Nienaber finished his tenure as Springbok with an impressive 69.2% win-rate, which puts him between the likes of Nick Mallett (71%) and Jake White (66.7%) for context on his overall reign.

Mallett’s reign is often under-rated because it appeared to taper off terribly, but his role in modernising Springbok rugby is undeniable.

Finally, Rassie Erasmus was the first man in the modern era of the game to return for a second stint as head coach in 2024. He will be looking for back-to-back World Cup success in 2027 in Australia.

Springbok coach win-rates

Most Tests as Springbok coach

Rassie Erasmus will take charge of his 50th Test at the helm of the Springboks on Saturday when South Africa take on France at the Stade de France in Paris.

Kick-off is at 22:10 (SA time).

Erasmus, 53, is fast closing in on Jake White who holds the all-time record of Springbok matches coached with 54.

Erasmus will have 53 to his name following the conclusion of the Springboks’ end-of-year tour later this month.