WTC Final: Rugby big gun Rassie Erasmus on Test cricket and South Africa – ‘…it's five days of being scrutinized, second-guessed, sledged, and still needing to stay mentally sharp'

Indian Express

2 days ago

The Proteas led by Temba Bavuma will play a 4-day warm up against Zimbabwe ahead of their first ever World Test Championships final. But red ball coach Shukri Conrad had a high profile cheer squad, the best in their chosen sport, keenly watching the Australia game. Rugby World Cup double champions Springboks and their sporting director (former coach) Rassie Erasmus hosted Conrad and the rest of the coaching staff at the Springboks alignment camp in Cape Town, in the heart of rugby's Stellenbosch alignment camp in Cape Town.
Conrad reckons the WTC final is the biggest stage for South African cricket, and his low-key squad who aren't exactly runaway favourites against the Australians got a bit of a leg up, when their coaching pack picked a few things on learning how to handle pressure.
The Proteas are notorious for blow-outs in big cricket knock outs, but are leaning on the perennially winning Springboks for some inspiration. Erasmus saw it as a means to build a unified South African sports identity, and said the cross-code exchange would help Conrad's lieutenants to observe, absorb and even contribute as they shadowed Springbok strategists last week.
According to Sportsboom.co.za and goodthingsguy.com, the seeds of this unlikely union were sown 'not in a boardroom, but over a braai.' The websites noted that during the Proteas' second Test against Pakistan at Newlands, Erasmus and Conrad met for the first time 'under smoky skies, where meat sizzled and ideas simmered.'
Sportsboom.co.za and goodthingsguy.com, quoted Conrad as saying, 'There's nothing quite like a good braai to break the ice.' Braai means South African barbecue.
'Rassie and I started talking about culture, pressure, leadership, and before the boerewors (sausage) was done, we both realized we were playing the same mental game, just on different pitches.'
Alongside Conrad were CSA's High-Performance Managers, who observed how the Boks manage detail, pressure, and player identity, according to goodthingsguy.com. The Springbok assistant coaches each presented their areas of expertise, from breakdown tactics to backline structure, while engaging with their cricketing guests about what translates across the codes.
'It was fascinating. The language might be different—rucks versus reverse swing—but the messages are identical: play for the badge, trust your process, execute under pressure,' Conrad told SportsBoom.co.za. 'Being in that room with Rassie and his coaches gave us a mental sharpening. You see what makes champions tick—and it rubs off on you.'
It is a steep task given Cummins' Australia are almost like the Bokks of cricket, with a World Cup and a WTC on their belt.
Erasmus, who was architect of not just two successive World titles but also opening up top grade rugby to Blacks and taking them to the pinnacle of glory, is much respected in the unique racially sensitive society. He took understood the challenges of cricket and said the Boks too could learn from the Proteas, especially in the psychological realm of endurance sport, as per goodthingsguy.com.
'A Test match lasts five days. That's five days of being scrutinized, second-guessed, sledged, and still needing to stay mentally sharp. That's not just skill, that's spiritual stamina,' Erasmus was quoted as saying.
'There's a lot for us to gain from how they manage that pressure cooker.'
While welcoming three new Bokks to the camp, ahead of their international season starters against Barbarians on June 28, Rassie added, 'Vincent Tshituka, Ntokozo Makhaza, and Juarno Augustus were new faces in our environment,' Erasmus added. 'And just like them, the cricket guys walked in as guests and left as teammates.'
'We've got more in common than not,' Erasmus was quoted as saying. 'The more we lean into each other, the more chance we have of both standing tall on the world stage.'
It was not quite the Invictus speech, but Erasmus gave goosebumps, when he told the cricket bunch, 'Because in the end, whether it's a ruck or a run chase, the goal remains the same: to write victory stories that make the nation sing,' as quoted by Sportsboom.co.za and goodthingsguy.com.
'We may bowl with leather, and they drive with muscle but when you strip it down we're both trying to win for the same flag. Whether it's the tryline or a third man boundary, it's the same heartbeat.'
Conrad of course has the tougher path to break – given Proteas' storied bottlings in white ball, but just the sheer strength of Australian Test cricket with Cummins, Hazlewood, Starc and Smith. Yet he didn't miss pointing out it was an occasion to embrace.
The WTC was suddenly a few days away, crept up on the Test squad. 'It used to be a month away, now it's next week we are in UK for what is our biggest final ever. I'd like to think,' he declared.
He had plenty of takeaways from the Bokke presentations, adding that it all boiled down to realising that playing for the Proteas was the biggest source of pride. 'And just sitting with some of the players and chatting with Springboks coaches, and going through the presentation that Rassie and coaches did, it's just common threads we find across all formats. We don't always put a lot of these things in documented form, not necessarily. But language is pretty much the same. What I find interesting is implementation of some things where playing for the Proteas has to be the biggest thing like playing for Springboks. And if that can be the one thing thing that you really going to hone in on, then it is the case with Springboks. And which is what we want to drill into Proteas. Playing for your national side has to be the biggest thing. I've really enjoyed the common traits between us and Springboks.'
In trying to figure out a few Saffer mysteries and to unlock their last-step stutters, Conrad has sought out ideas from different sources – even netball and the women's soccer team, Banyana Banyana. 'Meeting the Springboks was inspiring. If you look at the history of Springboks, you look at recent past, two successive at World Cup, back to back, potentially a third. They obviously must be doing something right. We'd like to see what they doing right and learn from each other. It's great rubbing shoulders across different codes. It's not only coming here to learn from them. It's us almost like sharing ideas. And that was always intention when Rassie and I started jabbing. Cross pollination for everyone,' he told SA Cricket.
It was an ongoing process and not something that might change overnight, but worth licking off. 'It's something that Rassie and I thought we should be spending a lot of time with head coaches. I'd like to spend time with Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos, Desiree Ellis (women's team Banyana Banyana), in the soccer space, I watch every Bafana Bafana game, watched Netball World Cup when it was here. I know there's a slogan, Stronger Together and sharing in national pride is same across every code. Couple of weeks back we were watching 4*400 and 4*100 relays. There's so much pride in being involved with South African national side – be it Bokks, Bafana Bafana or Proteas. It'll help us in this journey, and can only help our country on global scale,' he said.