Rassie pinpoint why 2025 is key year for 2027 world cup planing

If the Springboks successfully defend their World Cup crown in 2027, they will look back to 2025 as the year in which Rassie Erasmus did the lion’s share of his planning.

The coach of the Springboks has scouted the 82 players that caught his attention through a thorough tracking tool that evaluates competitors’ results in international competitions.

“Big Brother” Rassie doesn’t let anything get away. His computer systems are picking up every inch of grass, whether it is covered or not, so there is nowhere to hide. Those who perform well are chosen.

Erasmus’s next step is to put the selected 82 in the intense heat of international rugby to see who fuses and who turns into a valuable metal.

Erasmus will know by the conclusion of a demanding 2025 who he can rely on in Australia in two years and who he can leave behind.

Unquestionably, this year is the most important for the Springbok coach in the build up to Australia. This is the year to experiment and grow depth because next year, the year before the big defence of the Webb Ellis Cup, Erasmus will want to polish performances with an elite squad.

Erasmus wants to go to Australia with a 33-man squad in which his most inexperienced players have at least 10 to 15 caps.

This is why he has asked for as many Test matches as possible in this hugely important year for his planning. The last time the Boks played15 Test or more was in 2007 when Jake White played 17 Tests, including World Cup games. White had to play a whack of games preceding the World Cup because the Boks had endured a horror 2006.

Naturally, the rigorous schedule paid off, as White selected a team that would win the title at the Stade de France.

“2025 will be a significant year for us, and our preparations will enable as many players as possible to demonstrate their abilities,” Erasmus states.

“There is no better way to test if players can perform under such extreme pressure than when we face the All Blacks twice in New Zealand and away against France and Ireland. These games will be extremely difficult.