During the Springboks’ 54-7 dismantling of the Barbarians in their season opener, Erasmus introduced a tactical twist soaked in strategy and bravado — using powerful inside centre André Esterhuizen as a replacement flanker.
It wasn’t a fluke born of injury or desperation. It was a plan hatched in the depths of Bok strategy sessions five months ago.
“You can have two ways of looking at it,” Erasmus explained, rain dripping from the brim of his cap, voice unfazed by the storm around him.
“You can have a forward covering a back position, like Kwagga Smith on the wing — or a back covering a forward position, like André covering flanker.”
“He’s a hybrid player,” Erasmus continued, a mischievous smile curling at the edge of his words.
“A backline player who now rolls up his sleeves with the big boys. He’s been training with the forwards and the backs. Felix Jones is managing the balance beautifully.”
It was a rugby revelation — part chess move, part Frankenstein creation.
Esterhuizen, normally the battering ram in midfield, now morphed into a mobile ruck reaper. It’s the kind of forward-thinking that’s made Erasmus a coach other nations try to decode like ancient script.
The wet weather didn’t dampen the Boks’ fire. Instead, they waded into the Barbarians like a herd of green-and-gold bulls through soggy pasture, scoring eight tries in a slippery show of power and precision.
Captain Jesse Kriel — wearing the armband in Siya Kolisi’s injury-enforced absence — praised the team’s fearless approach.
“We came here to be bold and positive and not let the conditions dictate to us,” Kriel said, his voice crackling with pride.
“When we got the ball into the hands of guys like Aphelele Fassi, Kurt-Lee Arendse and Cheslin Kolbe, it was like unleashing lightning in the rain. They’re the kind of players who can pluck magic from mud.”
The Bok blueprint is bigger than one rainy romp.
“We won’t get carried away with this performance,” he said.
“Some of the newer guys showed they can swim at this level, but we’ll layer them in. We already know who’s likely playing in the first two Tests against Italy. By the time we’ve gone through Georgia, we’ll have about 45 to 50 players who’ve had game time. That’s the plan.”
While the storm clouds poured down in Cape Town, Erasmus’s eyes were already drifting toward the clearer skies of Pretoria — and a chance to sharpen the Bok blade on a drier surface.
“Some of those half-gaps and line breaks would’ve stuck in dry weather,” he said.
“We can’t wait to test our attack properly. The next three games are about refining ourselves before we get into the Rugby Championship.”
Among the highlights of the day was the thunderous return of Lood de Jager, who rumbled back into international rugby like a bakkie refiring after years in the garage.
Once feared to be sidelined permanently by a serious medical condition, the towering lock reminded the world why he’s been one of the engine room’s fiercest cogs.
“The condition he had was almost career-ending,” Erasmus admitted.
“But three weeks ago, in testing, he was exceptional. His body might be 32 or 33, but he’s had two or three years of ‘rest’ — and I think that showed. Jean Kleyn also went deep into the game, so we’re looking good for lock depth.”
So, as the storm clouds clear and the season rolls forward, South Africa’s campaign has begun not just with a win, but with a whisper of evolution. The Springboks aren’t just chasing victory — they’re reshaping rugby’s very rhythms.
And somewhere in that backline, bruising André Esterhuizen is strapping on a flanker’s mindset… with a centre’s heart still beating under his jersey.
