Rassie Erasmus’ Secret to Springbok Success: Keeping Players Grounded
Two-time Rugby World Cup winner, Handre Pollard, has revealed the key to Coach Rassie Erasmus’s phenomenal success with the South African national team, the Springboks.
In an interview with the For The Love of Rugby podcast, Pollard, who currently plays for Leicester Tigers in England’s Premiership, highlighted Erasmus’s ability to maintain a sense of focus and humility within the team. He emphasized that Erasmus consistently stressed the importance of avoiding complacency and entitlement.
No Room for Complacency
"The first thing he ever spoke about was entitlement," Pollard explained. "That’s the first thing that breaks a group up if senior guys think they are important.”
Pollard added that this message has resonated throughout Erasmus’s tenure, fostering a culture where every player, regardless of experience or status, is constantly striving to prove themselves.
"It keeps everybody very equal and extremely hungry – especially the old guys, your big dogs like Pieter-Steph [du Toit], Siya [Kolisi] and Eben [Etzebeth]," Pollard stated. "It’s not a feat of if I’m still going to play or not. It’s that I’ve got to prove myself every single day, otherwise I won’t play. It doesn’t matter who you are. That’s what makes him special.”
Dominating the International Scene
South Africa’s recent dominance in world rugby is a testament to this approach.
The Springboks ended 2024 ranked as the No. 1 team in the world for the fifth time in six years, solidifying their status as a global force in rugby.
Erasmus’s unwavering commitment to keeping his players grounded and hungry for success has undoubtedly played a crucial role in their achievements.
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