Springbok success offers lessons for South Africa

2026-02-13 - 04:56

Former Springbok mind coach and manager for eight years, Steve Harris, says head coach Rassie Erasmus and the current system are driving success that has been years in the making. Erasmus’ 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. Harris, also an author who holds a PhD in mental toughness, spoke at a think-tank at Caxton House in Johannesburg yesterday. Winning cultures grow through innovation, adaptability and confidence – Harris After a keynote address encouraging business owners and market pioneers to foster mental fortitude that transcends circumstances, he said the national rugby setup has only grown from strength-to-strength since his days with the Springboks. Harris highlighted Erasmus’ innovations, including last season’s open-play lineouts to set up driving mauls, hybrid players such as centre André Esterhuizen slotting in at flank, 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. ALSO READ: Upcoming URC derbies: Rassie confirms Bok stars out of action to get more rest “Erasmus has always been innovating. That was his trademark from Free State through to [Western] 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 innovations were most effective when they make opponents second-guess themselves. Springboks innovations most effective when opponents second-guess themselves Harris also suggested Erasmus’ 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. 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 loss, 43-10, to the Springboks in Wellington. ALSO READ: Johan Grobbelaar the Bulls’ standout in URC statistics “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. England and France are SA’s greatest threats in 2026 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. ALSO READ: Tickets for Springbok-All Black Test in USA cost up to R55k “If they were only in the Currie Cup, the standard wouldn’t be the same. Development is faster.” Harris added that while this may not have been part of the plan, the Boks have doubled down on the advantage and expanded their player base exponentially. South African journalist and radio host Jeremy Host speaks at Caxton House in Johannesburg, 12 February 2026, during Harvesting Partnerships Through Dialogue. Picture: Nigel Sibanda/The Citizen Earlier, veteran journalist Jeremy Maggs spoke to the gathering about what he believes the future will look like, saying the informal sector will start to boom and possibly outgrow gross domestic product, but will still be ignored by policymakers. SA’s future He said country was going to see middle-class stress rising more than poverty in a few years. He also forecast more South Africans beginning to trust the private sector to deliver results, rather than the government. Maggs added the high rate of youth unemployment will only fall if more young people are given actual jobs, instead of training-based forms of employment. ALSO READ: SABC sends fired journalist cease-and-desist letter over social media ‘rant’ He noted that the government has been doing the same thing for ages, but has had very little positive impact on the country’s economy. What this has done is build public resilience. Maggs said the question has always been: “Can South Africans survive the pressure?” However, he said that he believed the appropriate question should be: “Can leadership convert resilience into momentum?”