With the Boks-All Blacks Test landing 40 miles from the White House, Planet Rugby uses Erasmus's 100th Test in charge as a lens to examine what genuine leadership looks like versus the performative kind. The piece pushes back on a colleague's recent Trump-Erasmus comparison, arguing it flatters neither man accurately: where Trump's noise serves Trump, Erasmus's controversies — the Berry video, the press-room expletives, the 7-1 bench — are tactical cover for his squad or sit within the laws he's consistently worked. The five-point framework that follows lands some genuine analytical weight: Erasmus hired an Irishman and a former All Black when they were the best available, then defended Brown's exit publicly when he left; he shows up to press, owns his mistakes and earns respect even from journalists who want him to lose; he built a squad that looks like the country he serves; and he got on a plane to Maryland despite the geopolitical friction, having agreed the trophy-sharing terms before anyone travelled. The closing contrast is the sharpest — Erasmus inherited a side that had just lost 57-0 in Albany, delivered two World Cups, and let the record do the talking, while the President is on his third promised cash dividend to the American public, none of which has arrived.
Rassie at 100: What the Springbok boss does that the President only talks about
Using Erasmus's 100th Test as the hook, this piece methodically dismantles the Trump-Erasmus comparison doing the rounds — arguing Erasmus deploys controversy as a shield for his players and operates within agreed rules, while assembling the best staff regardless of nationality and delivering results before making promises. Worth reading for the analytical framework it builds around what accountability and leadership actually look like in practice.
- Springboks
- New Zealand
- Rassie Erasmus
- Rugby World Cup
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