Rassie Erasmus’ effective management was evident in the way he utilised a pool of over 50 players, a strategic move that showcased the depth and strength of the Springbok squad. Photo: BackpagePix
Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus is on the path to recovery following a shoulder operation earlier this week.
The esteemed mentor shared his optimistic outlook via an audio note on X, formerly known as Twitter, revealing that he hopes to be discharged from hospital by the weekend.
“Just a shoulder operation here. I won’t show you pictures and stuff because I don’t think it’s worth showing. All okay,” Erasmus reassured fans and supporters.
The surgery follows an impressive November tour to the UK, where the Springboks emerged victorious in three consecutive Tests against Scotland (32-15), England (29-20) and Wales (45-12).
It marked a significant milestone, as it was the first time since 2013 that South Africa had completed the year-end tour unbeaten, capping off an outstanding season that saw them lose only twice in 13 matches.
Erasmus’ effective management was evident in the way he utilised a pool of over 50 players, a strategic move that showcased the depth and strength of the world champions’ squad.
The coach took a moment to acknowledge the contributions of his players, congratulating those selected for the World Rugby XVs Dream Team, as well as young talent Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, who narrowly missed out on winning the Breakthrough Player of the Year award.
In particular, he praised loose forward Pieter-Steph du Toit, who was honoured with the Player of the Year title for the second time in his career.
“We are all proud of those guys. Us as South Africans believe in each other. Thank you for your support even when we tried some things and it didn’t go well; you were always behind us,” Erasmus said, reflecting on the unwavering support from fans throughout the season.
Hi guys. Happy festive season and lets take care of each other! Lekka 🇿🇦 pic.twitter.com/nRprkpZ5qz
— Johan Erasmus (@RassieRugby) November 27, 2024
Meanwhile, SA Rugby took a significant step to enhance the officiating standards within the sport.
On Thursday, they announced the establishment of a new elite referees’ panel, designed to elevate local match officials to international levels.
National laws advisor Jaco Peyper will oversee this initiative, which aims to divide the former ‘national panel’ into elite and national categories.
This restructuring is in line with efforts to provide tailored training for match officials serving at various levels, from international to club rugby.
Banks Yantolo, SA Rugby’s general manager of referees, said: “The idea behind this is to allow more specific work to be done with the match officials on the different panels, while we’ve also done away with our women’s panel as they are now part of the two new panels.”
SA Rugby Match Official Panels for 2025
Elite panel: Christopher Allison, Aimee Barrett-Theron, Griffin Colby, Morné Ferreira, AJ Jacobs, Marius van der Westhuizen. Reserves: Sean Muller, Hanru van Rooyen
National panel: Angie Bezuidenhout, Daniel Canhenga, Hernus Coetzee, Charlwen Daries, Juan de Bod, Stephan Geldenhuys, Caleb Hibbert, Cwengile Jadezweni, Jonathan Lottering, Lulutho Matomela, Phumzile Mbewu, Paul Mente, Excellent Mnkomo, Zoe Naude, Dylen November, Siyanda Pikoli, Eon van Zyl, Giana Viljoen
Television Match Official panel: Ben Crouse, Christie du Preez, Quinton Immelman, Marius Jonker, Archie Sehlako, Egon Seconds
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