Ahead of Rassie Erasmus's record-breaking 55th Test in charge — surpassing Jake White as the most-capped Springbok head coach — Pieter-Steph du Toit and Mzwandile Stick gave an insight into what separates Erasmus from the rest. Du Toit's verdict was blunt: 'the best coach I've played under, by a mile.' What emerges from both men is that the tributes aren't about tactics or trophies. They centre on ego — or rather, the complete absence of it. Stick describes a coach who will shelve his own plan in favour of a player's better idea, who empowers rather than controls, and who has never confused himself with being bigger than the game. Du Toit adds that Erasmus's trust in players to execute but also to read and react is a defining feature of the environment. With a win rate approaching 76% across 55 Tests — and above 85% since returning as head coach in 2024 — the numbers back the sentiment, but clearly for those closest to him, the culture he's built matters even more than the silverware.