Rugby union news: Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus launches podcast

Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus has released a new podcast, Rassie+, on the Smash Sports YouTube channel and excitement is building over the rugby insights and general sporting prowess that will be on offer.

The first episode featured incumbent Springboks assistant coach, Irishman Felix Jones, and digs into his return to the world champions from England.

Sports News Blitz and Film News Blitz writer – not to mention stalwart Springboks supporter – Aidan Leo analyses the purpose of the new podcast and what it means for the South African national side this season and beyond.

Premise of the podcast

Erasmus, his team of producers, and everyone else involved in the making of Rassie+ seemingly want to bridge the gap between the Springboks fandom and the team itself.

The idea is similar to that of the Chasing the Sun documentary series that chronicled the inner workings and finer details of the day-to-day activities of the Springboks set-up throughout the 2019 and 2023 World Cup–winning campaigns.

It is evident that Erasmus – ever the forward-thinking rugby brain that he is – wants to be in a position where the rugby public is in a state of enchantment rather than disillusionment.

For the enigmatic head coach, reality is reality.

After all, why focus on what is being reported on regarding Erasmus, his coaching team, and the national side when you can hear it straight from the figurehead himself?

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Guest line-up

The first episode of Rassie+ featured Springboks assistant coach Jones.

His discussion with Erasmus ranged from their time at Munster to the cultural differences between their home nations and what working together has taught them about coaching.

It was, by all accounts, a great insight into the psychology of two successful rugby minds.

Looking ahead, the podcast is set to feature a variety of coaches, ex-players, and (potentially) current players.

With household names such as Duane Vermeulen, Eben Etzebeth, Pieter-Steph du Toit, and Handre Pollard having already appeared on the podcast circuit over the last few years, it would be fascinating to witness their interactions with Erasmus on Rassie+.

Of course, it goes without saying that the appearance of Erasmus’ main defender and frontline soldier, national and global sporting icon Siya Kolisi, would do massive numbers and be an astute listen.

They have such a strong relationship and connection, with Erasmus having helped Kolisi develop on and off the field since their time at the Stormers franchise.

Hopefully, we also get to see Erasmus and other coaches such as Ireland’s Andy Farrell or the All Blacks’ Scott Robertson eventually break bread and go bar-for-bar on their rugby knowledge.

A front-row seat to the inner mastery of professional rugby’s best puppet masters would be nothing short of ground-breaking.

Rassie+ and the road to the 2027 World Cup

On the face of it, Rassie+ is a light-hearted fan-friendly podcast that offers a communal feeling and the chance for a deeper connection between Erasmus and the fans.

However, given the subject matter, genuine rugby insights are sure to be found as well.

For example, Jones provided an idea of the national set-up’s approach to player potential in the first episode when he discussed the development of star full-back Damian Willemse.

“When I look at Damian Willemse, he was obviously an incredibly talented player, but had loads of raw looseness to the things that he was doing,” Felix said. “Huge effort in the things he was doing, but it was almost wild at times.

“And I feel he is someone that, when you look at what he did for us in 2023, particularly in that World Cup where he was just one of the best players in the team and one of the most accurate and consistent. I felt it spoke a lot to the work all the coaches had put into his roadmapping over that previous four-year cycle.”

There is, of course, zero possibility of Erasmus revealing too much information about his team and its overall tactical developments to the public, but fans will not begrudge that too much considering the incredible competition in elite rugby at the moment.

The second episode of Rassie+ released this past weekend and featured former player and current Springboks backline coordinator, Mzwandile ‘Stokke’ Stick.

Episodes are set to be released frequently on the Smash Sports YouTube channel.

The legendary success story of Rassie Erasmus and the Springboks continues.

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