The Rassie Erasmus verdict on first 2024 Springboks coaches meeting

Rassie Erasmus has enthusiastically given the thumbs up to the new Springboks coaching set-up for 2024. The 2023 SA Rugby director of rugby has taken over as head coach following the post-Rugby World Cup exit of Jacques Nienaber to Leinster.

The first week of March was earmarked as the first opportunity for new assistant coaches Jerry Flannery and Tony Brown, as well as advisor Jaco Peyper, to meet in person with Erasmus ahead of their squad’s first alignment camp.

The Springboks have their first match pencilled in versus Wales in London on June 22 before hosting Ireland in a two-match series in July and then Portugal ahead of the start of The Rugby Championship.

It was mid-February when Eramsus named a squad of 43 for the first alignment gathering of the year, a selection that included 16 uncapped players and just four of their stellar overseas contingent.

Erasmus issued a clarification following that announcement to remind Springboks fans that players not selected for the two-day Cape Town gathering would of course be considered for the two follow-up alignment camps ahead of the Test games.

Now, having met up collectively with his new coaching team, Erasmus has declared himself ready to welcome the players on Tuesday night.

A statement read: “The Springboks coaches set the tone for a productive season-opening national alignment camp at a two-day strategic coaches’ session on Monday and Tuesday in Cape Town where they discussed their areas of expertise and aligned on the way forward for the 2024 season.

“The camp marked the first in-person Springbok coaches meeting following the team’s Rugby World Cup triumph in France in 2023.

"The appointments of Jerry Flannery and Tony Brown as new defence and attack specialists have filled the roles vacated by the departure of Jacques Nienaber and Felix Jones to Ireland and England respectively, and former international referee Jaco Peyper is now the team’s national laws advisor.

“The invited group of players will join the camp on Tuesday evening where they will participate in a string of boardroom sessions until Thursday.

"The focus of the alignment camp will be to expose the players to the demands of Springbok rugby, the key areas for the coaches in the national system, and what the coaches will be looking for from the players when they select the squad for the international season.”

Erasmus said: “It was fantastic to have the coaches and Jaco in the same room and to share our ideas with an eye on the 2024 season. We have had several online meetings in the last few months, but the human element is always great and this camp allowed everyone to get to know one another in a personal and professional manner.

“We are pleased with the foundation laid before we kick off the player sessions on Wednesday, and it’s great to see the enthusiasm among the coaches to get the season underway.

"Tony, Jerry and Jaco leaped straight into the swing of things, and it’s fantastic to see how they bonded with the rest of the coaching team who have been in the system for the last few years, so we are looking forward to this new chapter for Springboks rugby.

“As a coaching team, we have a good idea of what we would like to do this season and we are excited to present our key pillars to this group of players. This is a solid group of players, and these camps will be invaluable in putting the groundwork in place – not only for this season but also to set the tone in terms of where we’d like to take our game going forward.

“The sport is progressing at a rapid rate, and we must grow as a team to remain at the forefront of where rugby is moving. We made it clear last year that what we did in 2019 would not be enough to defend our title at the 2023 World Cup, and the same concept applies after last year’s international spectacle.”