By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Springbok coach, Rassie Erasmus is set to become most-capped Springbok head coach on Saturday when South Africa face Scotland in the second match of Nations Championship at Loftus Versveld stadium in Tshwane.
He will oversee a record 55th Springbok Test, the most by any South African coach since the team’s first Test match in 1891.
Erasmus has reached the total in two spells (2018-2019 and 2024-2026) to surpass the previous record of 54 Tests held by 2007 World Cup winning coach Jake White (2004-2007).
Mark Alexander, President of SARU, said: “Rassie understood his mandate from day one and implemented a strategy that truly transformed the way we play, the way we use our diversity as our strength and the way we drive social cohesion by using rugby as a vehicle. He galvanised all South Africans behind our team.”
Erasmus, a former Springbok loose forward, also held the title of director of rugby between his head coach roles and was always intimately involved in the team’s preparation with head coach Jacques Nienaber. Saturday marks the 94th Springbok match played under his guidance since his return to the South African Rugby Union (SARU) in 2018.
“There aren’t any superlatives left to describe the impact Rassie has had not only on Springbok rugby but on the sport and the country over the past eight years,” added Alexander.
“He has not only transformed the team’s results, he has transformed the country’s attitude to rugby. He has turned Springbok matches into an environment where South Africans from every demographic, whether it be sex, age, race, or language can come together to celebrate their South African-ness together.”
Erasmus’s contribution has been recognized at the highest level with the conferring of the Order of Ikhamanga in Gold, one of South Africa’s highest civic honours, for exceptional performance in sport. Few awards have ever been more richly deserved.
Erasmus’s legacy is measured not only in victories but in the unity, hope and pride he has instilled in South Africans, “said Alexander. “His work stands as a testament to the power of rugby to transcend boundaries and bring our nation together.”
The Springboks have achieved a win rate of 75,93% in Erasmus’ 54 matches in charge – 13,5% better than the Springboks’ historical winning record (62,5%) when he assumed control.
Erasmus said: “When players reach milestones we don’t talk about it in the build-up to matches and the same applies this week. It’s a nice thing to know but the most important and only thing this week is performing against a very dangerous Scotland team.”
The top five Springbok coaches by number of Tests are:
- Rassie Erasmus: P54 W41 D1 L12 | PF 1,823 PA 945 TF 234 TA 101 | Win rate 75,93%
- Jake White: P54 W36 D1 L17 | PF 1,740 PA 1,097 TF 193 TA 110 | Win rate 66,67%
- Heyneke Meyer: P48 W32 D2 L14 | PF 1,313 PA 841 TF 143 TA 72 | Win rate 66,67%
- Pieter de Villiers: P48 W30 D0 L18 | PF 1,262 PA 921 TF 126 TA 87 | Win rate 62,50%
- Jaques Nienaber: P39 W27 D0 L12 | PF 1,108 PA 694 TF 123 TA 63 | Win Rate 69,23%.
Tickets for Saturday’s Bok Test in Pretoria are still available, CLICK HERE.
The fans attending the match on Saturday, will be the very first to experience a state-of-the-art, multi-million-rand lighting system designed to transform match-day entertainment.
The massive overhaul, which took just under two months to complete, saw South African lighting specialists Afrison completely replace all 272 of the stadium’s legacy floodlights. Every single light on the iconic corner pylons, canopies, and stands has been swapped out for cutting-edge, energy-efficient LED technology.
For the first time in Loftus history, custom-built colour showlights have also been installed on the East and West canopies, paving the way for immersive light shows.
The project became a showcase of local innovation. With traditional stadium bulbs facing global discontinuation and strict regulations surrounding the importation of fully assembled commercial LED systems, Afrison manufactured the hardware right here in South Africa. The new fixtures boast 70% local component composition, importing only the specialised silicon microchips and drivers where no local supplier exists.