'If there's ever a bloke': The RWC three-peat may finally be within reach
The Springboks became just the second team in history to win consecutive Rugby World Cups with their 12-11 victory over the All Blacks in Paris last month. A three-peat has never been achieved.
Instrumental in both victories was South African coach - and recently Director of Rugby - Rassie Erasmus. The unconventional and influential rugby mind has just been reinstated as head coach for the team and will look to trailblaze a new kind of history in 2027's Rugby World Cup in Australia.
South Africa already have the highest success rate in Rugby World Cup history, winning four of the eight tournaments they have participated in. A win in 2027 would advance their claim as the best rugby nation of the modern era to an undeniable extent, and push Erasmus' legacy to previously unscaled heights.
"I just think, man he loves what he does," Former All Black James Parsons said of the Springbok coach on the Aotearoa Rugby Pod. "We've spoken at length about how he is his own man and I admire that about him.
"The exciting thing is the story that can be told over the next four years, of him looking to do a three-peat, whether he's Director of Rugby or whatever, we all know he was a big part of both those World Cup wins and you wouldn't put it past him.
"If there's ever a bloke that could probably go three in a row, it would be him."
With the bulk of the 2023 winning team also featuring in the 2019 final, age is not on many of the players' side. Veteran loose forward Duane Vermeulen has already announced his retirement.
The Springboks were by far the oldest squad at the Rugby World Cup, entering the tournament as the only team with an average age of over 30.
There is likely to be a significant amount of turnover within the national ranks between now and 2027, but with Erasmus on board to steer the ship, the young players will inherit a winning foundation and a progressive plan.
"The thing is, the best coaches do front load a lot of this so that when it comes to when you're actually going and living through it, the plan's there, it's just then executing and staying on task," Parsons added.
"He's an innovator. He likes to be first, not just in winning but he likes to do things first. He likes to lead the way and be that step ahead.
"It's an exciting time for South African rugby, and I think the public will be the happiest. We know that their fans are pretty passionate and they all love Rassie, so it's a big win for them."
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> It would be best described as an elegant solution to what was potentially going to be a significant problem for new All Blacks coach Scott Robertson. It is a problem the mad population of New Zealand will have to cope with more and more as All Blacks are able to continue their careers in NZ post RWCs. It will not be a problem for coaches, who are always going to start a campaign with the captain for the next WC in mind. > Cane, despite his warrior spirit, his undoubted commitment to every team he played for and unforgettable heroics against Ireland in last year’s World Cup quarter-final, was never unanimously admired or respected within New Zealand while he was in the role. Neither was McCaw, he was considered far too passive a captain and then out of form until his last world cup where everyone opinions changed, just like they would have if Cane had won the WC. > It was never easy to see where Cane, or even if, he would fit into Robertson’s squad given the new coach will want to be building a new-look team with 2027 in mind. > Cane will win his selections on merit and come the end of the year, he’ll sign off, he hopes, with 100 caps and maybe even, at last, universal public appreciation for what was a special career. No, he won’t. Those returning from Japan have already earned the right to retain their jersey, it’s in their contract. Cane would have been playing against England if he was ready, and found it very hard to keep his place. Perform, and they keep it however. Very easy to see where Cane could have fit, very hard to see how he could have accomplished it choosing this year as his sabbatical instead of 2025, and that’s how it played out (though I assume we now know what when NZR said they were allowing him to move his sabbatical forward and return to NZ next year, they had actually agreed to simply select him for the All Blacks from overseas, without any chance he was going to play in NZ again). With a mammoth season of 15 All Black games they might as well get some value out of his years contract, though even with him being of equal character to Richie, I don’t think they should guarantee him his 100 caps. That’s not what the All Blacks should be about. He absolutely has to play winning football.
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