SA Rugby president Mark Alexander says “there is no rush” to name Jacques Nienaber’s successor as head coach of the Springboks while speculation builds that Rassie Erasmus will follow him to Leinster.
On Saturday, Nienaber stunned the rugby world by announcing that he would step down as the Boks’ head coach after the World Cup in France to join Leinster as the Irish province’s senior coach.
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While Nienaber had a contract with SA Rugby until 2025, it is understood that there was an exit clause for after the World Cup, which he took advantage of.
Succession plan
While the news shocked fans, Alexander revealed that SA Rugby has succession planning in place and will take their time in announcing a replacement.
“It’s no crisis because it’s not like we are now forced to hire somebody tomorrow. There is no rush,” the SA Rugby boss revealed to Sport24.
“We’ve got succession planning that has been in place for a long time. We must look at that succession plan and all the other things we need to do.
“Some coaches have come a long way with us and have walked the walk with us. People always criticise South African Rugby for not planning, but we are planning.
“We have systems in place, and we know where we’re going. The trouble is that everybody wants to know who [is next].”
Front-runners
One of the coaches that has “come a long way with” SA Rugby is assistant coach Mzwandile Stick.
He has been with the Springboks for the past six years, working under Allister Coetzee, Erasmus and Nienaber.
Stick served as the head coach of the Southern Kings’ U19 and Vodacom Cup teams before joining the Boks and served as South Africa ‘A’ coach in November.
He is seen as one of the front-runners to succeed Nienaber, along with fellow assistant coach and former Kings head coach Deon Davids.
According to a report by the Daily Maverick, Stick and Davids have re-signed with the SA Rugby until 2027. The report adds that Nienaber was offered the same extension but opted to join Leinster instead.
Meanwhile, the Daily Maverick also states speculation is building that Erasmus could follow Nienaber to Leinster but only join the side in 2025.
Stormers head coach John Dobson is also viewed as a replacement for Nienaber after his success with the Cape-based side.
Erasmus and Cullen’s futures
Erasmus has often spoken about taking up another challenge outside of the Springboks, and his current contract with the SA Rugby expires at the same time as Leinster director of rugby Leo Cullen.
While Cullen has been hugely successful since taking over from Joe Schmidt at Leinster, he has often signed one-year and two-year extensions, keeping his options open.
He was briefly linked to the Ireland head coach role before Andy Farrell took on the job, and the pair’s contracts both expire in 2025.
When asked about his international ambitions earlier this year, Cullen expressed his desire to test himself at the highest level.
“You’ve got to have a level of ambition for sure, whenever that is,” Cullen said. “It is not something I’m in a rush to do. It’s not a burning ambition to do it tomorrow morning.
“When you watch the Six Nations, November internationals, World Cups, there is something about the very pointy end of the game. That’s the thing about sport. You want to expose yourself at that real pointy end. You want to test yourself out. That goes with the territory of being involved and being ambitious in sport.”
Could Erasmus and Nienaber work together in Ireland again as they did with Munster? Only time will tell.
READ MORE: Bryan Habana ‘not surprised’ by Springbok coach’s impending departure
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