A back-to-back World Cup winner, Rassie Erasmus stands among the world’s best sporting coaches due to his innovative approach and unwavering self-belief, writes MARK KEOHANE.
Writing for TimesLIVE, Keohane argues that Erasmus’ “my way or the highway” attitude emphasises conviction and a willingness to take risks for success.
He highlights that while the Springbok head coach’s methods haven’t always been popular, they’ve proven effective in achieving World Cup glory, which he sees as the ultimate goal in professional rugby.
Erasmus aims for an unprecedented third consecutive World Cup title at Australia 2027 and despite potential challenges ahead, Keohane believes that the former SA director of rugby is willing to experiment and take calculated risks to secure victory.
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“The greatest coaches/managers in sport have one consistent: They are willing to change before the fact and not wait until after the result,” he writes.
“For Erasmus, like all great coaches/managers, it is a case ‘my way or the highway’. This is a positive because it emphasises conviction and a willingness to risk being fired if the ‘my way’ does not come with the highway to success.
“Erasmus has always been willing to die by the sword he lives by, and the way he wields that sword has not always won him a popularity contest. Then again, popularity contests don’t guarantee World Cup success, and as the professional game of rugby continues to evolve, the Holy Grail is now most definitely the World Cup.”
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