Springboks succession plans already confirmed?

A defence coach for the Springboks seems to be the only position that the South African Rugby Union (SARU) are looking to fill.

According to Afrikaans newspaper Rapport, Director of Rugby Rassie Erasmus could step back into the head coach role after the World Cup.

Current head coach Jacques Nienaber will leave the position after this year’s event in France to join Irish giants Leinster.

It has been speculated that the three assistant coaches, Deon Davids, Daan Human and Mzwandile Stick will be groomed by Erasmus to possibly take over after 2025 should they be ready to do so.

These three coaches extended their contracts with SARU earlier in the week.

A defence coach is believed to be a priority for the Boks, especially after assistant coach Felix Jones announced that he will join the England coaching set-up after the World Cup.

Incidentally, Human was also on the radar of England coach Steve Borthwick, but in the end he decided to once again sign on the dotted line with the Springboks.

Erasmus has been South Africa’s Director of Rugby since 2017. He also took on the head coach responsibilities when Allister Coetzee was sacked in 2018.

Nienaber became the head coach at the start of 2020.

Under Erasmus, the Springboks had one of their most successful years in 2019 when they claimed the Rugby Championship title which was followed by success at the World Cup.