Bob Skinstad believes Rassie Erasmus is rugby’s answer to Pep Guardiola, arguing that he could keep the Springboks at the top of Test rugby for the next 15 years.
In an interview with Planet Rugby, the former Springbok captain lauded Erasmus’s vision and innovation.
Erasmus heads to Twickenham this weekend with the world’s top-ranked team, fresh off clinching the Rugby Championship and achieving back-to-back World Cup victories.
His tactical prowess was on full display during the Springboks’ recent match at Murrayfield, where his bold decision to replace nearly the entire forward pack just five minutes into the second half transformed a tight 19-12 advantage into a decisive 32-15 victory over Scotland.
To grasp the extent of Erasmus’s impact on the game, there’s no better source than Skinstad, who said that he once had a contentious relationship with the Bok coach.
“Very candidly, and I don’t want to labour the point,” Skinstad explained to Planet Rugby, “Rassie and I clashed as players and people because we competed for the same position.”
Reflecting on Erasmus’s evolution, Skinstad sees unmistakable parallels with Guardiola, the football mastermind who has won 39 major trophies during his time with Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester City.
At the start of his coaching career I couldn’t say I saw a Guardiola,” Skinstad said. “My goodness, I can now. I can absolutely see that this guy could coach this team at this level for the next 15 years.
“He’s proven to be more innovative than even the youngest players who are joining his team.
“He’s a wily old fox, but so much more than that,” Skinstad continued. “He’s doing different things with off-field stuff, different things with on-field stuff. Driving his team to be innovative. And I’m talking coaching team and playing team, which for me is the mark of a great coach.”
Photo: Grant Pitcher/Gallo Images
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