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Springbok Head Coach Rassie Erasmus held a media conference on 5th March at the SA Rugby headquarters in Cape Town, initially addressing local media before speaking to international media online, about the return of coach Felix Jones.
Earlier in the session, coaches Andy Edwards, Mzwandile Stick, Deon Davids and Duane Vermeulen spoke from their perspectives in their roles but Erasmus was asked predominantly about welcoming back former Springbok coach Jones into the mix.
Felix Jones had originally joined the Boks before the Japan Rugby World Cup 2019 as a defence consultant and was a key cog in the back-to-back Rugby World Cup-winning coaching staff before joining the England setup in 2024.
On Dispelling Rumours
On the departure of Jones to England after RWC 2023, Erasmus was adamant that they “never wanted to lose him” but for family reasons, Jones headed to Europe.
Since his role with England came to an abrupt end, the Springbok head coach had no hesitation in bringing Jones back into the South African fold once he approached his management team and South African Rugby of the opportunity, and Jones has brought his family with him in his second stint as a coach with the world champions.
“I don't want people to think that it was at all a plan to get him to get him over there and come back again. I can't comment on why it didn't work out in England but getting him back is fantastic for us because we never wanted to lose him. We know his character, and we get a guy back now knowing what Felix has brought to us and will bring to us.”
Erasmus confirmed that Jones has been thrown straight into the mix and is currently with the Sharks franchise in Durban alongside fellow Irishman and Springbok coach Jerry Flannery and that he has not seen Felix Jones since he returned to South Africa, but the coaches will be catching up this week when the first Springbok alignment camp takes place.
Springbok Coaching Environment - No Place For Egos
Rassie Erasmus is honest and direct when explaining the coaching setup, as the Springboks plan ahead for a possible history three-peat of Rugby World Cups in 2027.
“A big thing about us is, we want the right people. We might not always be the best people, and we might make mistakes, but our coaching team is responsible for certain areas and none of us have egos. We don't say “my department did well”, it is about “us” and all of us are responsible and accountable….if we win - we all eat and we all drink out of the same cup.”
Felix Jones is going to play a vital role in looking at the small details said Erasmus, as well as working alongside former international referee Jaco Peyper on the new laws and implementations and how the players and team can adjust more effectively to the changes. Peyper was brought into the Springbok setup in 2024 as a national laws advisor.
That is one area Rassie Erasmus admits he was not the best at in his position as Director of Rugby. “I don't think I did a great job when it comes to the new laws and how we made sure that we don't actually worry or know too much about it, and we need to get on top of it and try to be the first country that understands and implements that the quickest possible.”
The Springboks also want to tap into Felix Jones and what he has learned since he has been away and working with England and in competitions like the Six Nations.
“Felix will be in charge of the player roadmaps and gathering all that information for us, as well as running the extras before and after training, so we plan to use him in all the different departments within our coaching matrix,” explained Erasmus. His role would also not be limited to the Springboks, but much like former player Duane Vermuelen who has a roaming role, Jones will also work with the Junior Springboks and Springbok women.
“We would love for him to share some of those learnings with us. Now he is focusing on defence whereas he was primarily focusing on attacking and core skills when he was with us before.”
The Springboks also announced an ambitious target of playing 15 tests in 2025.