From loose forwards packing down at hooker to powerhouse centres packing down on the flank, Rassie Erasmus’s tactical innovations continue to reshape international rugby. Photo: Leon Lestrade Independent Media
Springboks' utility forward Kwagga Smith has credited Springboks' coach Rassie Erasmus as the mastermind behind the teams’ experimentation with hybrid players, but revealed that the tactic speaks to the mentor’s larger rugby philosophy.
Smith is arguably the original “hybrid” player, developed in part thanks to his Sevens skills with the Blitzboks. He has played at openside flank, eighthman and even filled in on the wing for the Boks at Test level. Erasmus’s tenure at the helm of the Boks has become characterised by the high stock he places on player versatility, with several players able to cover multiple positions, usually within their respective forward or backline units.
Pieter-Steph du Toit, Franco Mostert, Marco van Staden, Deon Fourie and, more recently, Jan-Hendrik Wessels and Ben-Jason Dixon have all been utilised across more than one position up- front, while in the backline, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Grant Williams, Damian Willemse, Canan Moodie and Handré Pollard have done similar shifts, to name the latest selections.
