Following their recent victory over Ireland, ex-Springboks hooker Schalk Brits has opened up on how Rassie Erasmus has transformed South African rugby and revealed the secret to their success.
The Springboks are currently dominating the global game and are firmly entrenched as the top ranked team in World Rugby’s official rankings.
Under Erasmus‘ guidance, the Boks have won back-to-back Rugby World Cups in Japan (2019) and France (2023), while also clinching a 2-1 series victory over the British & Irish Lions in South Africa in 2021. They were also crowned Rugby Championship winners in 2024 and 2025.
They are currently unbeaten on their end-of-year tour after notching impressive victories over Japan in London, France in Paris, Italy in Turin and Ireland in Dublin.
Their Quilter Nations Series campaign will be concluded when they take on Wales at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on Saturday.
Although they have been in outstanding form recently, Brits, who was part of the Boks‘ 2019 World Cup-winning squad, revealed that the “secret” to the team’s success is the process they follow, going back to 2018.
‘The process is the secret’
“I don’t see it as just one, two, or three games. It’s already there if you go back to 2018. You have to understand the process. The process is the secret,” he told CoinPoker.
“In 2018, Rassie took over after record losses against Ireland and New Zealand, when we were seventh in the world. Even then, you focus on what gives the biggest return on time spent: defence, set-piece and the kicking game.
“The idea was to evolve, starting in 2019. Even then, we said the probability of winning the World Cup in 2019 was very small because we lacked experience. We needed a bit of luck, and we got lucky by playing the percentages.
“The plan from 2019 to 2023 was to further evolve our game. Unfortunately, COVID came and stopped that evolution. Then the Lions tour came, leaving us with only a short period before 2023 to evolve again.
“Through a lot of grit and hard work – and a bit of luck – things went our way. We lost against Ireland, and in the knockouts, we won by one point, one point and one point, right? Take France, England, New Zealand.
“This is probably the first four-year rotation where he can actually install a full plan. From 2019 to 2023, he gave a lot of guys exposure. You don’t want ‘key individual risk’ in your team.
“If Handré Pollard gets injured, you’re in big trouble. It happened with Malcolm Marx twice.”
Brits revealed that since the Boks’ 2023 World Cup triumph, Erasmus has made some brave calls in terms of selection and the team’s style of play and they are currently reaping the rewards, although it hasn’t always been plain sailing.
“So, what has he done since 2023? He’s given more exposure to other players. He brought in Tony Brown as a new defence coach, saying, ‘Let’s evolve the game to where we are’.
‘Those are the mistakes we will make in order to grow’
“We have the belief now. We will still lose games, for example, the game we lost against Australia recently. We overplayed that game. He said we don’t have the capacity yet to play an all-expansive game; we need to pull back a little bit. But those are the mistakes we will make in order to grow.
“The evolution of the team is so impressive. It’s not just a key man like Pollard doing the same thing. You’ve got Pollard, who you know will win the game by playing in the right areas. But now he brings in Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Manie Libbok.
“He brings Andre Esterhuizen in, who can cover flanker if a red or yellow card comes. Kwagga Smith was the previous impact player; now Andre is an impact player, and he can still use Kwagga as well. Damian Willemse is playing 15, 12, and 10. Our scrum-halves can play wing.
“He’s trying to build athletes, even though you will always need a lock. He picks flankers and locks who can play multiple positions, giving you flexibility of choice. It takes bravery and guts to get to that position.”
Erasmus is currently one of the most innovative coaches in the international arena but with he has also been involved in controversy due to his innovations which Brits feels comes with the territory.
“Rassie isn’t just full of controversy; how he’s evolved the squad is spectacular. It feels like we are pushing the boundaries, and everyone else is trying to keep up with what Rassie is doing,” he explained.
“In the past, we would follow Australia and New Zealand’s playing style. Now, it feels like for once, we are bringing expertise outside of South Africa into the game, and the rest are following us.
“It’s amazing what is happening. Teams are evolving, some a little slower than others. The game is in a good spot, except for how it is being managed.
“If I were still playing, I would be extremely frustrated by the way the game is managed by the guy with the whistle and the guys who make the decisions.
“I want to see a spectacle with 15 players on the pitch. They’re pushing a certain narrative, but is it harming the game? Is pushing safety so hard actually detrimental to the quality of the spectacle?”