The Springboks racked up a number of achievements with their record 43-10 win over the All Blacks last Saturday, which was the 33rd victory with Rassie Erasmus as head coach.
Last Saturday’s stunning win at Sky Stadium not only saw South Africa reclaim the top spot on the world rankings, but they also retained the Freedom Cup, while the All Blacks suffered their heaviest ever loss.
On a personal level, it also took Rassie Erasmus’ win percentage to 71.7%. This should not be overlooked considering that this is now the second-best success rate of any Springbok coach since readmission.
Only 1995 World Cup-winning coach Kitch Christie boasts a better record in the modern era, with his 100% success rate impossible to beat, although it can’t be forgotten that he was only in charge of 14 matches.
Erasmus has now been in charge of 46 Tests as ‘head coach’, and his 71.7% success rate edges him ahead of Nick Mallett (71.7%) and Jacques Nienaber (69.2%).
Erasmus was also very much at the helm during the successful period between 2020 and 2023 when Nienaber served as ‘head coach’, and there is no doubt that this golden era of Springbok rugby is starting to reach unprecedented territory.
With Erasmus in charge until at least the 2027 World Cup, his record could of course still change dramatically, but as it stands, there are so many reasons to celebrate his success rate and what has been achieved since he returned to South African rugby in 2018.
There are other ‘amateur era’ coaches who hold a better win percentage, such as Danie Craven (73.9%), Ian Kirkpatrick (76.9%), Nelie Smith (80%) and Cecil Moss (83.3%), but they were in charge of far less Tests, and during a time when the game was a completely different prospect before professionalism.
Rassie Erasmus currently holds a special record
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