Eddie Jones, the outspoken Japan head coach, just can’t stop singing praises about Rassie Erasmus’s knack for nailing the perfect team selection. In his latest column for Planet Rugby, Jones delves into the strategic prowess of the Springboks' head honcho, who impressively juggled 46 players across four matches in July, showcasing a depth that most rugby nations can only dream about.
But for Jones, the real genius of Erasmus isn't just in gathering a formidable army of players. The true test, he argues, is deploying the right soldiers at the right time. “There’s a lot of noise now that South Africa have five potential Test-quality teams … but that’s a smokescreen,” Jones explains. “In simple terms, you can only play 15 players and eight replacements, so the argument is academic.”
"In the context of Erasmus, it means selection is the key challenge – and he is an outstanding selector."
Jones highlighted the strategic selection for the recent Rugby Championship clash against the Wallabies at Ellis Park as a textbook example of Erasmus's tactical acumen. “Marco van Staden is the hardest player on or over the ball that the Springboks have, and against the Wallabies, who dominated over the ball in the third Test against the Lions, he’s picked an asset for a specific scenario,” said Jones.
Moreover, with the shift of Siya Kolisi to number eight, Erasmus not only optimized his squad’s configuration but also fortified the team's ability to control the ball in the rucks—a critical factor in the fast-paced game conditions of Johannesburg.
Jones describes Erasmus as “a quite brilliant and super detailed coach” who not only embraces the core essence of Springbok rugby but also cleverly adjusts the “options on the fringes to move their game to new heights.” He even likened Erasmus to “a guy that always buys a Mercedes every year … never straying from the core brand, but always looking to find new competitive advantages.”
With such high praise coming from a fellow rugby coaching heavyweight, it's clear that Erasmus's methodical approach to team selection and game strategy is setting a high bar on the international stage, proving that sometimes, the art of winning starts long before the game does.