Rassie Erasmus is a former South African rugby player and coach who achieved one of the greatest feats in the history of the sport: leading the national team to win the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

He is widely regarded as one of the most innovative and unconventional coaches in the game and one of the most controversial and outspoken ones.

He has also coached several clubs and provincial teams in South Africa and Ireland, winning several trophies and awards.

Profile

• Full name: Johan Erasmus
• Nickname: Rassie
• Date of birth: 5 November 1972
• Age: 51 years old
• Gender: Male
• Place of birth: Despatch, Eastern Cape, South Africa
• Nationality: South African
• Profession: Rugby coach and former player
• Height: 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
• Parents: N/A
• Siblings: N/A
• Spouse: Yolanda Erasmus
• Children: Two
• Relationship status: Married
• Net worth: $5 million

Early Life & Education

Rassie Erasmus, currently 51, was born on 5 November 1972 in Despatch, a small town in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa.

He grew up in a rugby-loving family and started playing the sport at a young age. He attended the Hoërskool Despatch, where he excelled as a rugby player and captained the school team.

He also represented the Eastern Province at various age-group levels. He then enrolled at the University of the Free State, where he studied sports science and continued his rugby career.

He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1994.

Personal Life

Rassie Erasmus is happily married to Yolanda Erasmus, and they’ve been together for well over 20 years. They have two children: a son named Rassie Jr. and a daughter named Jeanne.

He lives with his family in Cape Town, South Africa. He is a devout Christian and often prays before and after matches. He is also a keen hunter and enjoys spending time in nature.

Career

Rassie Erasmus had a successful playing career as a flanker or a number 8 for several teams in South Africa.

He debuted for the Free State in 1994 and played for them until 1999, winning the Currie Cup in 1996 and 1997. He also played for the Golden Lions in 2000 and 2001 and the Cats and the Stormers in the Super 12 competition.

He made his test debut for the Springboks in 1997 against the British & Irish Lions and earned 36 caps until 2001. He scored seven tries for South Africa, including a hat-trick against Wales in 1998. He retired from playing in 2002 due to a chronic knee injury.

Erasmus then began coaching, starting as an assistant coach for the Free State Cheetahs in 2003. He became the head coach in 2005, leading them to another Currie Cup title in 2005. He also coached the Cheetahs in the Super 14 competition from 2006 to 2007.

In 2008, he moved to the Western Province, where he was the director of coaching and later the head coach. He also coached the Stormers in the Super Rugby competition from 2008 to 2011, reaching the final in 2010.

He resigned from his position in 2012 and joined the South African Rugby Union (SARU) as the general manager of high performance.

In 2016, Erasmus left SARU and moved to Ireland, where he became the director of rugby and the head coach of Munster.

He guided them to the final of the Pro12 and the semi-final of the European Champions Cup in his first season, earning the Pro12 Coach of the Season award.

He also helped to develop several young Irish players, such as Conor Murray, CJ Stander, and Peter O’MahonyO’Mahony.

He left Munster in 2017 and returned to South Africa, where he was appointed as the director of rugby and the head coach of the Springboks.

Erasmus faced a huge challenge as the Springboks coach, as the team was in a poor state after a series of disappointing results and performances under his predecessor, Allister Coetzee. He had to rebuild the team’s confidence, culture, and identity and improve their skills, tactics, and fitness.

He also had to deal with the political and social pressures of transforming the team to reflect the country’s diversity. He managed to turn the team around in a remarkable way, leading them to several historic victories, such as beating the All Blacks in New Zealand for the first time since 2009, winning the Rugby Championship for the first time since 2009, and winning the Rugby World Cup for the third time in 2019.

He also made history by becoming the first person to win the World Rugby Coach of the Year and the World Rugby Team of the Year awards in the same year.

Erasmus stepped down as the Springboks coach after the World Cup and remained the director of rugby. He appointed Jacques Nienaber’s assistant as the new head coach and became his “water carrier,” a role that allowed him to communicate with his players and staff during matches. He also continued to oversee the strategic and operational aspects of the team, as well as the development of the domestic game.

Net Worth

According to various sources, Rassie Erasmus has an estimated net worth of around $5 million.

He earns his income from his salary as the director of rugby of the Springboks and from his previous coaching and playing contracts.

Controversy

Rassie Erasmus is no stranger to controversy, as he has often been involved in some heated and contentious issues in his career.

He is known for his outspoken and provocative comments and his unconventional and innovative methods. Some of the most notable controversies that he has been involved in are:

In 2018, he made a controversial decision to appoint Siya Kolisi as the first black captain of the Springboks, a move praised by some and criticized by others.

He also faced accusations of racism and favoritism from some former players and coaches, who claimed that he was not selecting the best players for the team but rather those who met the racial quotas imposed by the government.

In 2019, he was accused of cheating and manipulating the rules by using a fake injury to substitute his prop, Trevor Nyakane, in the World Cup quarter-final against Japan.

He denied the allegations and said Nyakane had a genuine calf injury that prevented him from playing.

In 2021, he sparked a huge controversy by posting a 62-minute video online in which he accused the referees of bias and incompetence in the first test of the British & Irish Lions tour. He also criticized the World Rugby officials for lacking communication and transparency.

He faced a backlash from the rugby community and the media, who condemned his actions as disrespectful and unprofessional. He also faced a disciplinary hearing and a possible sanction from World Rugby.

Social Media

• Instagram handle: @rassieerasmus
• Twitter handle: @RassieRugby

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