In rugby, Rassie Erasmus has identified his greatest accomplishment, and it’s not winning the World Cup with South Africa.
The autobiography of the South African rugby director, which was released shortly before the Rugby World Cup 2023, has been translated into English and is currently available for purchase in the UK and Ireland ahead of the customary Christmas book sales boom.
The book “Rassie – Stories of Life and Rugby,” which is over 300 pages long and begins with his childhood in Despatch, the Eastern Cape, and ends just before the Rugby World Cup 2023, which the Springboks won in France to win back-to-back titles for the first time, is undoubtedly a light read.
Erasmus claimed in the last chapter of the book that, in spite of all of his accomplishments as a coach and player on the global scene, his greatest contribution to the game was the establishment of the elite player development pathway in South Africa ten years prior, which expanded the pool of players that were discovered through scouting.
In closing, Erasmus said, “My greatest accomplishment has been the development of the EPD pathway.” Seeing young athletes who might not have otherwise had the chance to play for their country’s Springboks and compete in a World Cup final brings me great joy.
“I remember seeing this young center, Lukhanyo Am, when I went to Border in 2013 with Jacques (Nienaber) to assist their coach. I told Jacques that we needed to continue to monitor him. He was winning the World Cup six years later. Those are the memories I cherish.
Because of the way I handled transformation and picked my Springbok teams, I am frequently accused of being a political animal, following the orders of my political masters. To be perfectly clear, no one has ever advised me on who to choose based on political factors during my time as a Springbok coach.
“I made my own decisions after consulting with my assistant coaches. When they read this, I can practically hear the people who want to think that I play political games yelling “Bulls***.” They are not amenable to change.
“I know some people don’t want to know the facts, but I’ve tried. When I say that I selected a group of young black players and made Siya (Kolisi) captain against England (in 2018), I’m being honest. It wasn’t because I had to make up quota numbers; rather, it was because they were the right players for the job. They all unequivocally demonstrated that they were deserving of their selection.
“When I introduced the EPD pathway all those years ago, I laid the foundation for rugby’s reform. I didn’t have to worry about transformation targets when it started bearing fruit because the right players were primed for success.
“Being a black player and leaving the white team is not transformational. Fair and equal opportunities are important, but first those opportunities needed to be created.
“I take great pride in witnessing how rugby has changed in South Africa from being a sport supported by a minority of people to one embraced by all of its people,” Erasmus continued. Rugby has demonstrated how South Africans can cooperate with each other regardless of our race, language, or cultural background. If we band together and utilize all of our resources, we can defeat nations that are stronger and wealthier than us.
I feel somewhat satisfied with my rugby career, both the successes and the failures. I coached in Test matches even bigger than the ones I played in. My hope is that having given opportunities to those who seized them will be my enduring legacy. As long as they are given the opportunity, anyone can play rugby.
“You can be a boy from Paul Roos Gym in Stellenbosch, Grey College in Bloemfontein, or Bishops in Cape Town. You could be a boy attending Ntyatyambo Primary in Zwide, Jim Mvabaza Senior Secondary in King William’s Town (now Qonce), or Hoërskool Brackenfell close to Kraaifontein. Or you could pretend to be a boy in Despatch from Hoërskool Despatch.
