Rassie Erasmus: future Springbok coach

There aren't many coaches in the Super 14 who have played in the professional era. There are fewer who have the potential to be the best in the coaching field. Rassie Erasmus has that potential.

I watched my recorded Boots & All from last week. There was a short interview with Rassie. Towards the end of the interview he summed up the season and got to what they'd learnt. The first thing he said was that he'd made some mistakes. He'd tried some things as coach that he thought would work and didn't. He didn't make excuses. He volunteered his learnings. Only then he talked about the players. All he said was that some have stepped up and some haven't. Then he finished by saying that for those players and coaches that didn't make it, they'd be pushed aside. The game was bigger than them.

Wow. No excuses. Nobody demanding his accountability. He volunteered it. What a difference.

It is difficult to believe that this is the man that Laurie Mains thought had psychological problems. It is far easier to reconcile the man we see today with the stories of the guy who spent every second focused on the game. Spending hours analysing his game, his teams game and the competitors on video.

To back all of that up, his team have held their heads high in this year's competition. And they hold the Currie Cup. On that day, Rassie stood smiling in the background.

What a refreshing difference in the South African coaching world.