Former Springbok mind coach: Rassie and his team tick all the boxes

2026-02-13 - 05:36

Former Springbok mind coach and manager for eight years, Steve Harris believes head coach Rassie Erasmus and the current system are driving success that has been years in the making. Erasmus’s innovation, ability to unsettle opponents with mind games – seemingly unintentionally – and the benefits of fully integrating overseas-based players in 2018 are all hallmarks of a forward-thinking, “get ahead of the game” approach. The author, who holds a PhD in mental toughness, spoke at a think tank at Caxton House in Johannesburg on Thursday. After a keynote encouraging business owners and market pioneers to foster mental fortitude that transcends circumstances, he told this publication that the national setup has only grown from strength to strength since his days with the Springboks. Springboks disrupt opposition Harris highlighted Erasmus’s innovations, including last season’s open-play lineouts to set up driving mauls, hybrid players such as centre André Esterhuizen slotting in at flanker, and the deliberate short kick-off to force a scrum. While World Rugby deemed the kick-off an intentional infringement, one maul from an open-play lineout led to a try against Italy. “Erasmus has always been innovating. That was his trademark from Free State through to Province. I think it’s a large part of their winning environment,” Harris said. “I don’t know if the lineout in open play led to anything, but it disrupts the opposition. It makes them feel uneasy. You want to throw them off their game one way or another.” He added that innovations are most effective when they make opponents second-guess themselves. Harris also suggested that Erasmus’s hard line on keeping Tony Brown as assistant coach “even after 2027” caused upheaval in the All Blacks ranks following the firing of Scott Robertson. Springbok assistant coach Tony Brown is sought after in his home country of New Zealand. Picture: Steve Haag Sports/Gallo Images This came after Brown, who was one of the names shortlisted for the role, described Robertson’s dismissal as “bizarre”, two years before the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia. He believed New Zealand were not playing badly, despite missing out on the Rugby Championship for a second consecutive year, losing to Argentina and England, and suffering their heaviest-ever defeat – a 43-10 loss to the Springboks in Wellington. “They are discombobulated after they fired their coach,” Harris said, adding the Springbok management’s reaction only added to the calamity. “[New Zealand] are like chickens without heads, blaming and whining. We are stronger because of it.” He identified England and France as South Africa’s greatest threats in 2026, with England visiting Ellis Park on 4 July and France to follow in the Nations Championship. Increasing the player base yielding more fruit than expected The Springboks are also strengthened every season by the 2018 decision, after years of hesitation, to allow overseas-based South Africans full eligibility. This has led to more South Africans playing in Europe and Japan, where pay and lifestyle are better, while bringing their best performances to the Springboks and mentoring youth and fringe players at training camps. “They are playing against top players constantly,” Harris said. “If they were only in the Currie Cup, the standard wouldn’t be the same. Development is faster.” He added that while this may not have been part of the plan, the Springboks have doubled down on the advantage and expanded their player base exponentially.