Springboks confirm coaching shake-up as Rassie commits to 2027, Vermeulen on board

The Springboks on Tuesday confirmed major changes to their coaching team, with Rassie Erasmus now officially signed on as head coach until the end of the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia. 

With both former head coach Jacques Nienaber and attack coach Felix Jones having now moved on, the coaching staff takes on a new look as preparations for a third successive World Cup crown get underway.  

The major news outside of Erasmus is that Springbok legend Duane Vermeulen joins in a "roving coaching role with all SA Rugby's national teams". He will now become the third member of a mobi-coaching unit, joining forces with existing coaches, Franzel September and Bafana Nhleko.

The Springboks, meanwhile, will also have an injection of international pedigree with former All Black and Highlanders flyhalf Tony Brown joining as attack coach while Ireland's Jerry Flannery is unveiled as the new defence coach. 

Jaco Peyper, who retired from international refereeing this year, is on board as the Springboks' new Law Advisor. 

"We are delighted to announce that Rassie Erasmus will take over the reins as the Springbok head coach once again following his success with the team since 2018, and we believe that with the continuity in the coaching structures and the exciting additions, we are in good hands in the ultimate objective of claiming a hat-trick of World Cup titles," SA Rugby president Mark Alexander said in a statement.

"Tony Brown and Jerry Flannery are both former international players and bring fantastic coaching experience, and their skills will complement Mzwandile Stick, Deon Davids, and Daan Human.

"It is also a huge coup to have a world class referee in Jaco Peyper as a member of the management team and to retain his expertise in South