Rassie is a loss, but don't panic
Rassie Erasmus' unveiling yesterday as Irish club Munster's director of rugby represents a huge setback for South African rugby. Erasmus, who now vacates his post as SA Rugby's general manager of high performance, is a very good all-round coach. He is tactically sound and extremely hard-working.And, by his own accounts, he is a much better mentor now than he was 10 years ago. The fact of the matter is that the more time you spend in any role, the better you become.Losing his intellectual capital may prove a significant blow to SA rugby because, quite frankly, we don't possess sufficient senior coaches that have done time within our system. It speaks volumes that Johan Ackermann, currently experiencing his third season at the helm of the Lions franchise, is our most experienced Super rugby coach.However, as Paul Treu has shown as the Stormers' defence coach since Jacques Nienaber's departure, nobody is irreplaceable. Erasmus's defection might open the door for Dawie Theron. The latter has served his apprenticeship, having coached the SA Under-20 side since 2010. That job was always a development tool and another successful coach can take over if he leaves.For my money, the 49-year-old should be Erasmus's natural successor because he knows the system, has worked with members of the current Springbok management team at junior level, and has also coached many of the players who have risen through the ranks.For me, it is all about the investment that has been done over a period of time. We have seen all over the world that the ability to promote from within is what makes organisations successful. While I'm well aware that there is a big drive towards transformation within SA rugby, I don't believe that there is anybody of colour, at the present moment, who is qualified to take over from Erasmus. I agree with the principle of transformation with merit, and the recent appointment of Allister Coetzee as Springbok coach serves as a case in point.If Theron is named as general manager of high performance, it should not be used as ammunition by SA Rugby's detractors. Saru has made strides in terms of its strategic transformation project - a five-year plan with annual performance targets - and appears really intent on trying to make teams more representative of the broader demographic.The bottom line is that SA Rugby is endeavouring to improve in all areas of transformation. It has been co-operative and wants to make a difference as far as demographic representation, access to the game, skills development and performance are concerned.At government level, I maintain that a person with a rugby background should be appointed to oversee the process rather than a committee chairman, such as Beauty Dlulane, because a numbers-based approach is certainly not going to solve anything and is far from the objective. In actual fact, if you don't have someone with an intimate knowledge of the game, it will worsen the problem because people are going to be placed in positions that they don't deserve or that they are not good enough for.It's a far more complex conversation than just saying: "If you don't deliver five players of colour on the field, you will have failed in terms of your transformation objectives."..
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