But that changed when Erasmus took over, knowing that he had to rebuild Springboks to target the 2023 Rugby World Cup. However, he managed to do the business in 2019 before following it up with the win in France four years later.

Now, operation 2027 Rugby World Cup is in full swing, with Erasmus bringing through youngsters to gain experience, while also managing the older star by not playing them into the ground.

Erasmus knows time waits for no man, and even this core group of the golden generation of Springbok superstars will one day have to be put to pasture.

But what about Erasmus himself and the Springbok coaching position? Yes, life after Rassie Erasmus may be the post December hangover South African rugby fans are dreading. The rugby equivalent of “Januworry”.

Erasmus' current contract runs out after the 2027 World Cup in Australia. By that time he would have been directly involved with the Springboks for nine years, after serving as director of rugby when his good friend Jacques Nienaber was head coach between 2020 and 2023.

Will Erasmus continue after 2027? Only he would know at this point. Erasmus will be the longest serving Bok coach by the time the next World Cup arrives. A long time to be in the second-most scrutinised job in the country behind the actual president of the country.

The Springboks have consumed his life over the last seven years. It’s been a steely focus to get the Boks back where they belong. And you can see it’s taken a toll on him, and could have even been the cause of his divorce.

But Erasmus almost seems irreplaceable as Springboks coach, not only because of the success of the team over the last seven years, but the culture of unity he has built around the team, which all South Africans have embraced.

The “genius of Rasssie”

His planning and ability to think outside of the box are well known, but it’s his man-management that also plays a massive part in how he gets the best out of his players. He also brought that never-say-die mentality that helped them win the World Cup with three successive one-point defeats.

Handre Pollard recently gave us insight into Erasmus’ management style, and debunked a few myths.