6: Just Getting Started

“Allister was further impeded by a rule SARU introduced in 2017 requiring overseas-based players to have at least 30 Test caps to be eligible for selection. It was designed to stop players leaving the country but it further reduced the Springbok talent pool.

7: Rassie United

“‘In this team’, he said, ‘transformation is about more than certain guys playing because they’re black or white, it’s about accepting and respecting each other’s cultures.’ Because if we did that, he said, people would feel comfortable being themselves and play better on the weekend. As such, we’d be more likely to win together, and the more we won together, the quicker we’d transform the mindset of the South African public.

Rassie had a set of rules that every player had to abide by but he also knew he couldn't treat everyone the same. An Afrikaner who went back to farm school in the Boland is likely to be different from a black guy who grew up in a township or someone from a wealthy family who attended an exclusive school in Cape Town. The coaching staff understood that they had to be empathetic to individual needs within a framework that applied to everyone.

Besides, he had already weeded out any guys he thought could be a virus. He’d say, ‘The 31 guys in the squad aren’t necessarily the most talented but they’re the right guys for this team.’ He understood that sometimes you had a player who was arguably the best in his position in club rugby but also sulked, moaned about game plans and faculties, talked kak about people and infected the whole environment. Other coaches don't notice those players but Rassie spots them immediately and never considers picking them again.

9: Lion Taming

“Our 46-man squad for the series included 22 overseas-based players, a significant increase from the 2019 world cup. Putting aside whether that reflected well on South Africa’s domestic rugby, the overseas players brought different perspectives and insider knowledge to the Bok set-up. It was almost as if we had spies in the Lion’s ranks because the guys who played in Europe had played with or against pretty much everyone in their squad. They had first-hand experience of how they did things, their strengths and weaknesses, which is very different from watching players on tapes.

13: Still Hungry

“Rassie’s experimentation isn't over, I can guarantee you that. But I reckon that by mid-2026 he’ll have identified a big group of players good enough to be selected for the World Cup. Not necessarily the most gifted players but definitely guys Rassie thinks will die for the Boks. Fitting the right people in the right places, on and off field, is one of Rassie’s great talents.