Rassie Erasmus demand ‘complicating negotiations’ as SA Rugby risk losing Springboks boss
Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus and his assistant Tony Brown.
South Africa risk losing Rassie Erasmus after the next Rugby World Cup with the head coach not yet signing a new deal.
The Springboks boss would prefer to stay beyond the global tournament in Australia and pen a contract until the end of 2031, but nothing has yet been confirmed.
According to Rapport, Erasmus has “at least” two other offers on the table and that his camp is “under pressure to respond” to them.
SA Rugby are currently reluctant to tie him down now, with the governing body first wanting the 52-year-old to concentrate on the remainder of the Rugby Championship.
Negotiations to ramp up
Negotiations are then expected to ramp up in the period between that competition finishing and the start of the end-of-year Tests, but South Africa could lose him if they do not act quickly.
Erasmus also wants his assistants to remain on for those four years until the conclusion of the World Cup in the USA, which is allegedly ‘complicating the negotiations’.
It is ultimately not just the Boks boss who is in demand but some of his trusted lieutenants as well, including Tony Brown – the New Zealander who joined as their attack coach after the 2023 success.
Brown could have been involved in the All Blacks set-up had Jamie Joseph been appointed as head coach, but he missed out after Scott Robertson was chosen as the person to lead the 1987, 2011 and 2015 world champions.
However, with Robertson’s side struggling, particularly in attack, NZR may look to tempt the attack guru back home.
But Erasmus remains the prized asset and SA Rugby realise that it is vital they tie down the double Rugby World Cup winner.
Two months ago, chief executive Rian Oberholzer stated that “it looks promising” in regards to the Boks boss’ contract, but nothing has yet been signed and sealed.
Springboks continue to impress
Having played a key role in helping the country become back-to-back world champions, Erasmus is seen as a vital cog in continuing that success.
While he came under some scrutiny after their loss to the All Blacks at Eden Park – which followed a shock home defeat to the Wallabies – it has been relatively smooth sailing since the end of 2023.
They won 11 of their 13 matches in 2024, claiming the Rugby Championship title for the first time since 2019 in the process, before they began 2025 with victories over the Barbarians, Italy (twice) and Georgia.
Although the Springboks suffered a setback by losing two of their opening three Rugby Championship games, they responded superbly by inflicting New Zealand’s biggest-ever defeat.
