South Africa’s rugby coaches are the best in the world

Published on 3rd June 2025 | Leave a response

South Africa’s rugby coaches are the best in the world, internationally and at club level. It is why, right now, South Africa is the No 1 nation in the sport.

Rassie Erasmus, the 2019 World Cup-winning Springboks coach and 2023 SA Director of Rugby, is the unanimous choice as the best in the business, with two successive World Cups, a Rugby Championship and a British & Irish Lions series win. Add in a 2-0 Test win against the Wallabies in Australia and a 2-0 at home to the All Blacks in South Africa in 2024, and there is little to counter the argument.

Ireland’s Andy Farrell and France’s Fabian Galthie are outstanding international coaches, but the Holy Grail World Cup trophy has continued to elude them, as players and coaches.

It is at club level where South Africa’s coaching pedigree is on the front foot, with South African players equally sought after the world-over.

This weekend’s Vodacom United Rugby Championship features two South African teams in the Bulls and Sharks, but effectively all four semi-finalists are led by South African coaches. I include the Sharks’ New Zealand-born and raised John Plumtree, given he has spent the best part of 20 years in South Africa, with his playing and coaching career in South Africa exclusively at the Sharks.

Springboks 2023 World Cup coach Jacques Nienaber is at Leinster and former Springboks utility back and Italian national coach Franco Smith is at the helm of defending champions Glasgow Warriors. Jake White, the 2007 World Cup winner with the Springboks, heads up the Bulls coaching structure.

South Africans can’t lose in this weekend’s semi-finals because every team features a South African player and South African coach.

In the English Premiership it is a similar situation with South African Johann van Graan having led Bath to the top of the table and a home semi-final. Handre Pollard and Henro Liebenberg have been at the forefront of Leicester Tigers’ march to the semi-finals and the Du Preez brothers, Dan, Jean-Luc and Robert, have inspired Sale’s Sharks to the semi-finals.

In Japan it was no different, with former Bulls Super Rugby two-times title winner Frans Ludeke leading his Kubota Spears to this season’s Japan League 1 final.

This season’s Japanese League’s featured 48 South African players and seven South African head coaches and assistant coaches.

The Japanese League 1 is among the healthiest in world rugby, with New Zealanders, Australians and South Africans adding to the increased competitiveness and quality of the league. The crowd attendance continues to grow massively and 51 000 watched this past weekend’s final.

Even the French Top 14 has a South African coaching flavour, with Alan Zondagh and Heinie Adams part of Bordeaux’s coaching team.

Bordeaux, the Investec Champions Cup winners, are second in the Top 14 with one round to play.

John Dobson’s Stormers won the URC title in its inaugural season & his team hosted the final in the second season.