Rassie Erasmus (left) and Jacques Nienaber possess complementary skills

Erasmus had a difficult childhood, with his father’s struggles with alcoholism a formative experience. Perhaps that enables him to connect with a playing group drawn from very different backgrounds. In the moments after their win in Yokohama, captain Siya Kolisi tried to get Erasmus to take hold of the trophy, a mark of their bond. The then head coach declined, insisting it was his skipper’s moment.

The installation of Kolisi, the Springboks’ first Black test captain, came just a few months after Erasmus replaced Allister Coetzee. “People outside of South Africa might not understand this fully but having a Black Springbok captain is a flammable situation in our country,” the coach recalled to the Daily Mail of the appointment. “I lost a lot of friends when I made Siya captain. There was a lot of nastiness.

“Before the World Cup, my daughters’ friends’ parents would say, ‘Tell that f*****g father of yours to stop sucking up for a pay cheque.’ People said it was political. The fight to get people to believe in Siya was a real struggle.” Six years on, Kolisi could surpass Francois Pienaar and John Smit as indisputably the Springboks’ greatest captain – like so many of his bold calls, Erasmus got it right.

Like all good leaders, it is clear that there has been learning from the mistakes. While his remorseless initial reactions to the unedifying Berry incident still sit uneasily, there has been a necessary mellowing. South Africa now enjoy a closer relationship with the officials; though former test referee Nigel Owens declined an invitation to join South Africa at this World Cup, the Welshman has been in contact with the Springboks camp.

South Africa captain Siya Kolisi (left) and Erasmus are close

“Our whole motto has been, ‘Let’s respect the referees,’” Erasmus explained. “It works both ways. He’s going to make mistakes, we’re going to make mistakes. And the frustration we had in the past, and the lack of communication because of various things with Covid … that is in the past. There’s a nice protocol in place, it’s easy to communicate to them.”

Nienaber will depart after this tournament for Leinster, with Bath coach Johann van Graan, who succeeded Erasmus at Munster, thought to be among the contenders to take over.

His boss was also connected with a move to Ireland, linked with the performance director role left vacant by David Nucifora’s exit. “There’s no truth in that,” Erasmus emphatically stated at the start of the World Cup. “I’m not sure where it’s come from but I definitely haven’t chatted to the IRFU. I’m definitely not following Jacques.” In the shadows or the spotlight, the Springboks’ puppet master continues to pull the strings.

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