The Springboks have made some major coaching announcements today, with brand new attack and defence coaches coming into the fold, a former World Cup star taking on a senior role, a former referee joining as a law advisor, and Rassie Erasmus returning to his former role.
- Rassie Erasmus confirmed as head coach to end of 2027
- Tony Brown (attack) and Jerry Flannery (defence) new additions
- Jaco Peyper takes on full-time team role as National Laws advisor
- Duane Vermeulen appointed to roving coaching role
SA Rugby President, Mark Alexander
“We are delighted to announce that Rassie Erasmus will take over the reins as the Springbok head coach once again following his success with the team since 2018, and we believe that with the continuity in the coaching structures and the exciting additions, we are in good hands in the ultimate objective of claiming a hat-trick of World Cup titles,
“Tony Brown and Jerry Flannery are both former international players and bring fantastic coaching experience, and their skills will complement Mzwandile Stick, Deon Davids, and Daan Human.
“It is also a huge coup to have a world class referee in Jaco Peyper as a member of the management team and to retain his expertise in South African Rugby, as understanding the referees and their analysis of the laws is critical to any team’s success.
“We are excited about this Springbok coaching team, and we’ll be thrilled to see how the double World Champions perform once they return to the field for the first time since lifting the Webb Ellis Cup in France last year.”
“Duane [Vermeulen] has tremendous experience as a player and will take that IP into the coaching teams of our other national teams to give them an insight into what it takes to be a champion team.
“It also allows us to extend our own coaching base from within the ranks of the Springboks with an eye to the future.”
Rassie Erasmus
“It is a massive honour to coach the Springboks, and I am grateful for the trust placed in me. The main difference between the last four years and this season is that I will be more hands-on at the field sessions.
“In my role as Director of Rugby in the last four years I continued to oversee the team structures and strategy in conjunction with Jacques and the other coaches, so it should be an easy transition back into the head coach role.
“We already had our first coaching session this week at the hospital, and it’s great to see the enthusiasm among the coaches to get the season underway.”
Harlequins Director of Rugby Billy Millard
“We will be sorry to see Jerry go as he is a big character and can be very proud of his achievements at Harlequins. We wish him well as he moves into international rugby and continues to develop his career. He will always be welcome at The Stoop. For the rest of this season we have a very strong group of coaches and are very fortunate to have Assistant Defence Coach Jordan Turner-Hall with us, and the resources and structure to achieve our goals.”
Jerry Flannery
“I have loved my time at Harlequins working alongside a talented young group of coaches and players. The opportunity to move into international rugby and to work alongside Rassie Erasmus again after our time at Munster was very appealing and I would like to thank Harlequins for supporting my desire to take up this opportunity to develop my career. I look forward to the next few weeks with Harlequins and a final home match at a sold-out Stoop in February.”
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