Rassie eyes 'referee coach' for Boks at World Cup - report

SA Rugby's director of rugby, Rassie Erasmus, is reportedly eager to appoint a "referee coach" to accompany the Springboks to the World Cup in France later this year.

According to Rapport newspaper, Erasmus revealed his plans during a meeting with SA Rugby's executive council last week.

It's unclear exactly what role this "referee coach" will fulfil but it could be similar to what the Boks employed at the 2019 World Cup in Japan. Back then, performance coach Ruan Botha came on board to provide the team with in-depth information on each referee in charge of their games.

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Meanwhile, the report added that Eugene Henning, CEO of players' organisation MyPlayers, will again be employed to assist players with all their off-field issues. Henning also assisted the Boks on their victorious World Cup campaign in 2019.

At this year's World Cup, the Springboks will contest Pool B alongside Ireland, Scotland, Tonga and Romania.

Their first match is against Scotland in Marseille on 10 September, followed by games against Romania (Bordeaux, 17 September), Ireland (Paris, 23 September) and Tonga (Marseille, 1 October).