Rassie Erasmus gave an expletive-filled half-time talk to rouse the Springboks to come from behind and beat England in the 2023 World Cup semi-finals, highlighted in the first episode of Chasing the Sun 2.
The first episode of the documentary based on South Africa’s historic World Cup title defence in Paris delivered a few golden insights into the Bok camp during the tournament.
One of the opening scenes in the documentary takes viewers back to the 2023 World Cup semi-finals, when the Springboks found themselves trailing England 12-6 after an error-prone first half performance in a wet-weather match.
Erasmus, then still director of rugby, entered the changeroom unhappy with his side’s inability to fire any shots at their opponents. In an excerpt from his half-time talk, he made his feelings known in no uncertain terms.
Rugby World Cup Semi final. Rassie’s speech at half time calling out players on not delivering on their promise. Love how he users life values to hold players accountable on the pitch! What a flippen coach! pic.twitter.com/tzXmSSoXaO
— Katleho Lynch (@LynchCoach) March 25, 2024
MORE: Rassie’s Boks always two steps ahead
Erasmus’ talk struck a chord with the players, as they produced an inspiring comeback effort in the second half, with RG Snyman scoring a try before Handre Pollard struck a 50-metre penalty to send the Springboks into the final.
Photo: Dan Mullan/Getty Images