Though he coaches a squad of Springbok players that can already be mostly be regarded as legends of the game, Rassie Erasmus has paid tribute to a number of South African athletes that do not deal with the oval ball.
The Springboks have won four games in a row in the Rugby Championship to top the table with two matches remaining. That run of victories included two triumphs over New Zealand on South African soil, in Johannesburg and Cape Town over the last three weeks.
It also set a new record for the Springboks as they have now beaten the All Blacks four times in a row for the first time ever. The Springboks of course beat the All Blacks in the Rugby World Cup final last year, and also in a warm-up game before the tournament.
Clearly, the list of records are piling up for the Springboks, but Erasmus sought to highlight the phenomenal performances of other SA athletes recently.
A shoutout to all our 🇿![CDATA[]]>🇦 athletes who have been doing the country proud! Tatjana Smith, Dricus Du Plessis, Bafana Bafana, Bayanda Walaza, Shaun Maswanganyi, Bradley Nkoana, Akani Simbine and Jo-Ane van Dyk. So proud to see you flying the 🇿![CDATA[]]>🇦 flag
— ☝🏼Johan Erasmus (@RassieRugby) September 11, 2024
Bunch of winners
Erasmus posted on X: “A shoutout to all our SA athletes who have been doing the country proud! Tatjana Smith, Dricus Du Plessis, Bafana Bafana, Bayanda Walaza, Shaun Maswanganyi, Bradley Nkoana, Akani Simbine and Jo-Ane van Dyk. So proud to see you flying the SA flag.”
Erasmus certainly chose a bunch of winners to congratulate. Smith with her four Olympic medals, with a gold and silver at the Paris Olympics is now Team SA’s most decorated Olympian.
Du Plessis is the current UFC middleweight world champion. Bafana Bafana won their Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against South Sudan on Tuesday, and Bayanda Walaza has just become the 100m and 200m Under-20 World Champion to go with his silver medal from the Paris Olympics as part of the men’s 4x100m team.
The rest of the 4x100m team (Shaun Maswanganyi, Bradley Nkoana, Akani Simbine) were also mentioned by Erasmus, as well as women’s Olympic javelin silver medalist Jo-Ane van Dyk.
On the subject of mind games, Springbok coach @RassieRugby Rassie Erasmus weaves an incredibly contrasting tapestry of intriguing theories away from the rugby pitch.
— IOL Sport (@IOLsport) August 27, 2024
Video: @Golfhackno1 pic.twitter.com/eCvbN1r4bO