SA Rugby has not yet advertised Jacques Nienaber’s post, with the view is that the union will go forward with the assistant coaches and Rassie Erasmus taking the lead.
Cape Town – There is no shortage of coaches who can take over the unforgiving job as Springbok coach when Jacques Nienaber eventually departs after this year’s Rugby World Cup in France.
SA Rugby recently announced that Nienaber would leave the Boks for Leinster after France 2023, after opting not to continue his coaching journey with the national rugby team.
While Nienaber is leaving, his assistants in Mzwandile Stick (backline) and Deon Davids (forwards), along with scrum coach Daan Human and Andy Edwards (head of athletic performance) will all stay on until after the 2027 World Cup in Australia.
Their contract extensions are probably a strong indication that the appointment of the new Springboks head coach, hopefully later this year, will in all likelihood come from within SA Rugby’s ranks, and not from outside, with Stick and Davids currently in the front row to take over.
Interestingly, their contract extensions have been announced with one important line in the statement from rugby’s national governing body reading: “They will continue in their roles under the guidance of SA Rugby Director of Rugby Rassie Erasmus, whose services are tied in until the end of the 2025 season at least.”
Contract extensions signed by key members of the #Springboks management – more here: https://t.co/yWRnB8uxih ✍#StrongerTogether pic.twitter.com/59ujLG86R6
— Springboks (@Springboks) April 26, 2023
SA Rugby has not yet advertised Nienaber’s post and maybe it won’t be necessary to do so, but for now the view is that the union will go forward with the assistant coaches and Erasmus taking the lead.
But does that mean Erasmus will step out of the office in 2024 and dust off his coaching whistle to allow for a gradual handing over of the baton to the preferred candidate? Will he be prepping Stick or Davids to take over? Will this not put the two coaches’ ambitions in his shadow? Those will all be burning questions asked.
SA Rugby has groomed Stick and Davids, so it does make total sense that one of them should be appointed after the World Cup after that contract announcement.
After his career took a knock as Coetzee’s assistant, when he was demoted to the Junior Springboks, Stick returned to the national fold under Erasmus and was a vital voice and brain in the 2019 World Cup victory.
Of course, an outside appointee can never be ruled out, but the disruption it could possibly cause could be rough on both the team and the assistant coaches who could have their eyes on landing the job as head coach.
The next couple of months, along with the build-up to the World Cup, will create an interesting environment in the Springboks camp.
Supporters will be hopeful the premature announcement of Nienaber’s departure, along with the uncertainty of the next coach, does not impact the build-up and World Cup campaign of the team.
@Leighton_K
