Rassie Erasmus is a great storyteller.
In the summer of 2016, Munster’s hands-on director of rugby arrived on a three-year contract.
It was such a coup that within a few months South Africa Rugby saw the error of their ways and began talks to give Erasmus the keys to the Springbok kingdom.
Rassie only spent one season at Munster, but he left a lasting impression. We made the Champions Cup semi-final.
I’ll always remember how he motivated our group, every week, by creating a narrative around the opposition. Or he would make it about us, like when a player hit a milestone.
A fortnight ago, the story was Siya Kolisi’s 100th cap for South Africa against France in Paris. Lood de Jager’s sending off meant that Rassie had to tap Kolisi on the shoulder at half-time.
Gone. Andre Esterhuizen, a giant centre, replaced the iconic captain and played in the forwards at set pieces. The pay-off was a lineout maul powering Esterhuizen over the try line to put the Boks ahead.
Nobody cheered louder than Kolisi on the touchline.
Also that night, Erasmus ruthlessly replaced a prop, Boan Venter, on the half hour. Even the young star Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu was shifted to fullback as Mannie Libbok took over at outhalf. It worked. Feinberg-Mngomezulu ran in the decisive try to silence the Stade de France.
Erasmus has no problem tearing up his game plan. No issue replacing Kolisi. Before a crisis could cement itself at scrum or at outhalf, a message was sent down to Felix Jones at pitch side.
This is how South Africa became the greatest international team in the history of rugby. Successive world cups have been backed up this year by a record win over the All Blacks in Wellington before 14 men defeated France.
The French had them exactly where they wanted them: four points ahead with 15 minutes to play.
That’s when the Springbok power game took hold.
Equally, Rassie’s attitude to attack has evolved since the appointment of Tony Brown. It is not just about introducing the “bomb squad” on 50 minutes to steamroll the opposition. They will soften you up and kill you with lethal wingers like Cheslin Kolbe and Kurt-Lee Arendse.
Ireland’s record win over Australia sets up Springboks clash perfectly
I still think Ireland can beat South Africa. My belief is down to the visitors being at the end of a long season and Ireland rediscovering their groove to put 46 points on the Wallabies last weekend.
Remarkably, in the last two years, Andy Farrell’s side have had the Springboks number twice.
In Chasing The Sun, a South African documentary about the 2023 World Cup, Rassie used Ireland’s win in the Pool stages to accuse his players of not hurting enough. He used that loss to win the tournament.
The doc also shows Rassie tapping into a multicultural group with players from working class backgrounds that had to go through unbelievable hardship.
The Springboks were once a symbol of apartheid; now they endeavour to represent everyone in South African society. Rassie feeds this narrative by constantly talking about playing for something bigger than themselves. That is their secret sauce: that and the sheer size of them.
The Irish rugby team built a sustainable, successful model in a more concentrated way. Farrell has created an internal unity, a club vibe that is made possible by access to his players. It helps immeasurably that the IRFU owns the four professional teams where all its players are under contract.
That is our secret sauce.
I think Ireland can beat anyone at the Aviva Stadium. Even the best team ever assembled.
In every single position, South Africa has three legitimate options. No other country compares. Take lock. Eben Etzebeth, De Jager and Franco Mostert are more than enough quality, but Rassie continually turns to my former Munster team-mates RG Snyman and Jean Kleyn for extra power.
That could be this week’s story: RG and Jean talking about their lives in Ireland.
Rassie is constantly thinking of unique scenarios to impact winning, like calling a scrum from a mark in the South Africa 22 to drain the French pack’s energy reserves. Nobody thought of that until it happened in a World Cup quarter-final. Or when he named seven forwards on the bench for the final. Or his ability to make unorthodox calls, like removing a prop after 30 minutes against France.
At Munster, he revived the importance of beating the s**te out of the opposition. He waited until we fell off tackles in an early-season game to ram this message home. None of us will forget that meeting.
He is an intimidating man who can also wear a velvet glove, especially with the media, where his charismatic side comes out.
Also, and this is key, Erasmus surrounds himself with staff who are committed beyond any typical working day. Like Felix Jones and Jerry Flannery. He was quick to rehire Jones when his time working under Steve Borthwick at England went sour.
Felix is an old friend and team-mate. If the same, insane levels of preparation are brought to how he prepared to play for Munster, then he is already a great coach.
South Africa Rugby certainly thinks so. Same goes for Jerry. Two great players and skilled-up coaches, Rassie would have been attracted to their characters as much as anything else.
Maybe, in the not-too-distant future, Munster will benefit from two of our own coaching the best team on Earth. Unfortunately, right now, their knowledge and expertise are working against Ireland.
Still, I am backing an Irish victory over South Africa.
