Rassie Erasmus, once merely the director of rugby, has now been credited with elevating SA Rugby to unprecedented heights after a major revamp in their high-performance systems. SA Rugby CEO, Rian Oberholzer, has openly praised the strategic shift away from Super Rugby to the United Rugby Championship (URC), citing reduced travel and improved performance as key benefits.
Oberholzer revealed, “The move north was actually a blessing in disguise for us. We are now playing in a competition where our travelling is not as severe as it used to be. Our teams are performing well, and I think that was a huge step forward for us.” The strategic shift coincided with South Africa clinching the 2023 Rugby World Cup, a victory Oberholzer attributes to the foundational changes implemented by Erasmus.
“What was important for us was our reset that we had, and the way we approach our teams and specifically the national teams,”
Oberholzer elaborated. He further praised the “genius” of Erasmus's coaching overhaul, which not only propelled the men's teams but also boosted the women’s teams into the top eight in the nation.
The under-20 squad clinching the World Championship and another win for the sevens team over the weekend were highlighted as indicators of the successful restructuring. “Our under-20s won the World Championship, our sevens won this weekend again, so on the field, it’s going extremely well, and I think we’ve got that right,” Oberholzer added.
Off the field, SA Rugby is also scoring big, with recent reports suggesting that sponsorship earnings have surpassed broadcast revenue for the first time in professional rugby. This financial upturn is seen as crucial for sustaining long-term success on the global stage.
General Manager of High Performance, Dave Wessels, credited much of the success to the systems and leadership of Erasmus. “I’ve been very lucky to work under him, where we can copy a lot of the things that are working in his environment and try to apply them to the other teams,” Wessels commented, ensuring that the legacy of Erasmus's methodologies continues to influence all levels of SA Rugby.
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Rassie Erasmus, once merely the director of rugby, has now been credited with elevating SA Rugby to unprecedented heights after a major revamp in their high-performance systems. SA Rugby CEO, Rian Oberholzer, has openly praised the strategic shift away from Super Rugby to the United Rugby Championship (URC), citing reduced travel and improved performance as key benefits.
Oberholzer revealed, “The move north was actually a blessing in disguise for us. We are now playing in a competition where our travelling is not as severe as it used to be. Our teams are performing well, and I think that was a huge step forward for us.” The strategic shift coincided with South Africa clinching the 2023 Rugby World Cup, a victory Oberholzer attributes to the foundational changes implemented by Erasmus.
“What was important for us was our reset that we had, and the way we approach our teams and specifically the national teams,”
Oberholzer elaborated. He further praised the “genius” of Erasmus's coaching overhaul, which not only propelled the men's teams but also boosted the women’s teams into the top eight in the nation.The under-20 squad clinching the World Championship and another win for the sevens team over the weekend were highlighted as indicators of the successful restructuring. “Our under-20s won the World Championship, our sevens won this weekend again, so on the field, it’s going extremely well, and I think we’ve got that right,” Oberholzer added.
Off the field, SA Rugby is also scoring big, with recent reports suggesting that sponsorship earnings have surpassed broadcast revenue for the first time in professional rugby. This financial upturn is seen as crucial for sustaining long-term success on the global stage.
General Manager of High Performance, Dave Wessels, credited much of the success to the systems and leadership of Erasmus. “I’ve been very lucky to work under him, where we can copy a lot of the things that are working in his environment and try to apply them to the other teams,” Wessels commented, ensuring that the legacy of Erasmus's methodologies continues to influence all levels of SA Rugby.