Erasmus Highlights Plans to Expand Skill Base

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus wrapped up their first alignment camp of the year saying two of the key takeouts from the sessions hosted in the last few days were the encouraging dynamics between the younger and older players, and his plan to use the skillset of all the coaches and management team members to contribute to a well-oiled machine on the field.

The invited players assembled in Cape Town on Monday night and participated in two days of gym and boardroom sessions, which followed on a productive coaches’ workshop last weekend.

“The purpose of the alignment camps are to get everyone on the same page about what the year looks like, to set our goals, and delve into what we are expecting from the players, while also reminding them of a few things we do on and off the field,” said Erasmus.

“This camp was productive in terms of the bigger picture for the team in many ways. Not only from a coaching staff perspective in general, and especially with Felix (Jones) rejoining us and slotting in really well, but we also touched on all of the other areas that make the team function optimally such as the operations, medical, media and the technical areas, which are all very important.

“When we play a Test match on a Saturday, it’s a product of all of those aspects, so the camp was not just about aligning as a group but making sure that when we kick off our season, everyone is aligned and ready to go.”

Erasmus was delighted about the way the players gelled and learned from one another: “The message we drove through was that it will take a squad effort to perform this season because it won’t be a group of 23 or 25 players that will be doing it for us this year.

“The so-called older players understand that in order to prolong their careers they’ll have to transfer knowledge to the younger guys, and at the same time the younger guys know the door is open to work their way into the matchday 23.

“We won’t always play the same matchday squad, so it’s beneficial for a younger guy and the coaches to get new ideas, and we plan to do the same with the players abroad, whose alignment camps are starting next week.

“It’s 12 weeks until we get together again, and from a camp perspective, I think the guys really interacted well.”

With the foundation for the season now officially in place Erasmus said one of their objectives was to maximise the skill set within the squad and entire management group to contribute to a more streamlined approach to the year.

“There’s been a lot of talk about Felix, but we have a new dietician in Robyn (Moore) and physiotherapist in Lance (Lemmetjies) and each person has a skill set,” said Erasmus.

“So instead of putting people in departments and judging those specific departments, we plan to work together.

“Felix is a great example of that. He supports and works with all the coaches and is also helping on the technical side. We know him very well, and he gels really well with the players and management.

“It’s similar with Jaco Peyper (Laws and Discipline Advisor). He’s not only a former referee who knows the laws of the game well and a lawyer by profession, he also helps us with communication because he has that skill.

“We also plan to use Sebastian Prim (Sports Scientist) in a wider role than assisting Andy Edwards (Head of Athletic Performance), to allow us to tap into his expertise as a sports scientist.

“So, this year we will really try to bring out those skills and use every bit of experience and energy each person has.”