Africa-Press – South-Africa. Rassie Erasmus
is not sure if England rugby fans would want him as their head coach, but he hasn’t entirely dismissed the idea.
Rassie: Springboks joining Six Nations would be awesome
Erasmus is currently the SA Rugby director of rugby, but the man who coached the Springboks to World Cup glory in 2019 and oversaw a 2-1 series win over the British & Irish Lions in 2021, will understandably be in high demand.
He was previously linked to the England job in 2020, when Afrikaans newspaper Rapport cited two sources who claimed that while Erasmus was on a long-term contract with SA Rugby, there was a clause that could have allowed him to walk away earlier if he came to an agreement with the English RFU.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Erasmus discussed a wide range of topics, including the global calendar shake-up and his future in the game.
When probed on whether he would consider coaching England in future, he didn’t rule out the prospect.
“I don’t think the English people would ever want me there now. Maybe I am wrong. I hope I am wrong. Would I coach another country? If my own people were cool with it and the other country’s people were cool with it then why not?” he said.
Erasmus made headlines last year when a 62-minute video of him criticising the officiating during the Lions series was leaked to the media and went viral.
Erasmus was later charged by World Rugby and banned from attending any matches for a year for his public criticism.
He fears that may have made him too unpopular among northern hemisphere rugby fans.
“But if my own people are going to hate me for it, then I would never do it (coach England),” he added. “I hate the fact that so many people hate me in rugby right now. I’m not a confrontational guy. I like to get on with people.
“South Africa has my heart but coaching England would be amazing because I think they can win. I would love to coach Ellis Genge.
“Any prop that looks the other prop in the eyes before a scrum, you know he’s a dog. You don’t want a prop that’s looking at his toes, scared. I want guys like Genge on my team.
“If South Africans accepted me doing that, like when Nick Mallett went to coach Italy, then of course I would love it. If I felt like South Africans were not going to hate me on the street then I would consider it.”
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