Springbok Coaches to Work with Super Rugby Teams in Prep for Japan World Cup

CAPE TOWN – South Africa’s national rugby coach Rassie Erasmus and his assistants are to spread out across the country’s four Super Rugby teams to offer support as they look to harmonise preparations for next year’s World Cup in Japan.

The Springbok coach and his assistant coaches – Jacques Nienanber, Matt Proudfoot and Mzwandile Stick – as well as Springbok Head of Athletic Performance Aled Walters – will work with the Bulls, Lions, Sharks and Stormers.

Erasmus’s first invitation is to support new Bulls coach Pote Human, who has replaced John Mitchell since he left for a position on the England coaching staff.

Erasmus said in a statement on Tuesday:

All of the coaches worked with one or other of the franchises in the past year to exchange ideas and expertise and hopefully assist the teams in raising the performance bar.

Strong performances at franchise level will translate into strong Springbok performances – it’s a win-win.

Erasmus said the national coaches would in no way be dictating style or tactics or trying to impose a national blueprint on teams, said SARugby.

We will assist in generic areas such as skills and conditioning, mauling, scrumming and lineouts.

It will also give the national coaches a chance to discuss individual players with the franchise coaches and work on specific areas for specific individuals.

But it is not our role to have input on selection or game plan – that can only be determined by the franchise head coach. But we do believe this approach can work for South African rugby in its broadest sense at the start of a very important Rugby World Cup year.

The Super Rugby season kicks off on 16 February 2019.

Sources: SARugby and Reuters