World Rugby’s snub of Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus is now beyond farcical

World Rugby’s annual failure to recognise the Springboks’ global supremacy by acknowledging Rassie Erasmus as Coach of the Year is farcical.

The manner in which the blazered denizens of the World Rugby boardroom go out of their way to give the award to anyone but Erasmus would be amusing if it weren’t offensive.

Indeed, South Africans are sometimes accused of having a persecution complex, but this reminds me of the old saying: “Just because I’m paranoid, that doesn’t mean they’re not out to get me.”

This year, the award went to England Women’s coach John Mitchell. Mitch is a fine coach. He has my utmost respect for what he achieved with the All Blacks, the Lions, the Bulls, the Chiefs and the Western Force. But the much-travelled Kiwi has seldom had an easier job than coaching the England Women to World Cup success.

Firstly, they have little competition outside the Black Ferns, and secondly, they have enjoyed a culture of success stretching back decades.

And why give out the coaching award in September when there was so much rugby still to be played? The Autumn Series in the northern hemisphere has been superb. Maybe—just maybe—World Rugby had the rare foresight to predict that the Springboks would rampage across Europe, humiliating France, embarrassing Ireland, and shrugging off early red cards against Les Bleus and Italy as if they were trifling inconveniences.

Before the Autumn Series, the rugby world had a grudging respect for a Springbok team that had won back-to-back Rugby Championships, including a 43–10 dismantling of the All Blacks in Wellington — the heaviest defeat in New Zealand’s proud history.

After the Autumn Series, that respect shifted to outright admiration. Every pundit on the planet, including traditional Bok sceptics such as former Scotland coach Matt Williams and former All Black Sir John Kirwan, has lavished praise on a Springbok side that is a country mile ahead of its nearest challenger.

How can the coach who has won two World Cups and revolutionised the sport with eyebrow-raising innovations — from Bomb Squads to depth-building rotation — not be the best in the game?

Well, Erasmus is the best coach, and the lack of recognition from the international governing body is personal. Put simply: World Rugby dislikes Rassie, and the feeling is mutual.

Granted, the maverick Erasmus can be unlovable — the (leaked) video assassination of Nic Berry during the 2021 Lions series was a low point — but the World Coach of the Year awards are not a popularity contest. They exist to recognise extraordinary coaching.

Let’s consider the history. When New Zealand were the best team in the world, the love affair with the All Blacks translated into a procession of honours. Between 2005 and 2016, nine of the 12 Coach of the Year awards went to All Black bosses. Graham Henry won it five times between 2005 and 2011; Steve Hansen won it four times between 2012 and 2016.

Now compare that with how many times a Springbok coach has been honoured since South Africa’s dominance began in 2019. It won’t take long. In the last seven years, only one Springbok coach has won — Erasmus, in 2019.

At that point, he was still viewed as a charming rogue. His break with World Rugby had yet to unfold.

Every World Cup year, the winning coach has been crowned Coach of the Year — as it should be. But in 2023, Jacques Nienaber was ignored. The award went to Andy Farrell, an excellent coach, but one whose Ireland side crashed out in the quarter-finals.

Nick Mallett, who sat on the judging panel, resigned in disgust when he saw Nienaber would be snubbed. Erasmus, upon hearing the same, boycotted the ceremony.

Folks, the dots are not difficult to join. World Rugby cannot stomach Rassie Erasmus because he is not a yes-man who dances to their tune.

And that is exactly why he should have been Coach of the Year.