The Springbok coach has overseen his side’s journey to new heights of nationwide adoration
12 September 2024 - 05:00
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Of all the doctors who have played or coached Springbok rugby, only two have achieved enduring fame: Danie “Doc” Craven, with his three PhDs, and Rassie Erasmus, who did not need a dissertation for his honorary degree but passed the practical with flying colours. Like “The Doc”, Erasmus, even as a player, has always been a deep thinker of the game. Craven coached the Boks to a 4-0 series victory against the All Blacks in 1949. Erasmus has now matched this with four wins in a row. He also has two successive World Cup titles. But where he is absolutely unrivalled is the way he has taken the team to heights of nationwide adoration. All that remains is to share Craven’s 1937 Springbok Test series victory in New Zealand, when the Boks tour there in 2030.
Picture: SANDILE NDLOVU
A bad week for Jacob Zuma
Jacob Zuma, the godfather of state capture, is shameless. Not only did he bring the country to its knees by letting the Gupta burglars in to plunder our coffers, he has now embraced their accomplices. From his redoubt he followed events recently when Brian Molefe, Lucky Montana and Siyabonga Gama were sworn in as MPs as members of his new party. You could almost hear the JZ chortle from the Nkandla front stoep. The trio joined another new fellow traveller in the opposition benches: Floyd Shivambu, fresh from his EFF divorce but still in the crosshairs of the gumshoes investigating the VBS looting.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
A good week for Rassie Erasmus
The Springbok coach has overseen his side’s journey to new heights of nationwide adoration
A good week for Rassie Erasmus
Of all the doctors who have played or coached Springbok rugby, only two have achieved enduring fame: Danie “Doc” Craven, with his three PhDs, and Rassie Erasmus, who did not need a dissertation for his honorary degree but passed the practical with flying colours. Like “The Doc”, Erasmus, even as a player, has always been a deep thinker of the game. Craven coached the Boks to a 4-0 series victory against the All Blacks in 1949. Erasmus has now matched this with four wins in a row. He also has two successive World Cup titles. But where he is absolutely unrivalled is the way he has taken the team to heights of nationwide adoration. All that remains is to share Craven’s 1937 Springbok Test series victory in New Zealand, when the Boks tour there in 2030.
A bad week for Jacob Zuma
Jacob Zuma, the godfather of state capture, is shameless. Not only did he bring the country to its knees by letting the Gupta burglars in to plunder our coffers, he has now embraced their accomplices. From his redoubt he followed events recently when Brian Molefe, Lucky Montana and Siyabonga Gama were sworn in as MPs as members of his new party. You could almost hear the JZ chortle from the Nkandla front stoep. The trio joined another new fellow traveller in the opposition benches: Floyd Shivambu, fresh from his EFF divorce but still in the crosshairs of the gumshoes investigating the VBS looting.
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