MAJOR COUP: Rassie surprises by getting 'vital cog' Jones back for Boks

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has engineered a major coup by getting former Bok assistant coach Felix Jones to return to the management team for the build up to the World Cup title defence in Australia in 2027.

Jones, who was part of the Bok management team that won back-to-back World Cups in 2019 and 2023, will return to the side from 1 March 2025.

Jones left the Boks at the end of the 2023 season, looking for new opportunities, and joined Steve Bothwick’s England management team in a short-lived stint that ended a few months ago.

The stint at England was one filled with “turmoil” as Jones found himself unable to work in the set-up, before being frozen out, yet still held to his contract by England, who eventually let him go in December last year.

But with the Boks Jones fulfilled an exceptionally important role, being based in Europe and looking after the overseas-based Springboks for both Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber during their stints.

He also was in charge of conducting research on the opposition, a role that worked exceptionally well in both World Cup campaigns.

Jones is also now reunited with fellow Irishman Jerry Flannery, who joined the Boks at the end of 2023 in a defense coaching role. The two were assistants to Erasmus when he coached Munster in 2016 and 2017, helping Erasmus take Munster to the Pro12 final.

Tony Brown keeps his position as the Bok attack coach, but Jones’ return will add some extra aspects to the Bok coaching team, which will need to come up with new ways to defend their World Cup crown from a chasing pack.

The added bonus is that Jones has worked with the England side and has intimate knowledge of them, while he has spent the past two seasons studying the other Six Nations opposition and was with Borthwick on England’s tour of New Zealand.

There was some speculation Jones may join Ireland’s national squad, or even take over at Munster following Graham Rowntree’s departure, but the Bok announcement came out of the blue with Erasmus calling him a “vital cog” for future Bok success.

Erasmus unveiled his management team on Thursday, with the three new additions to the coaching and management groups being Jones – who was a member of the team’s triumphant 2019 and 2023 RWC campaigns – as well as Lance Lemmetjies, who will join the medical team as one of two physiotherapists from June, and Robyn Moore, as the team dietician from 1 April.

Their appointments will be for the next cycle concluding with the Rugby World Cup 2027 in Australia.

Lemmetjies – who is currently the Vodacom Bulls’ physiotherapist – will rejoin the team after spending time with the squad during the British & Irish Lions Series in 2021 and serving in the role during the South Africa ‘A’ tour in 2022. Moore, meanwhile, has also worked directly with the Springboks for the last few seasons.

“We are delighted to welcome Felix back into the Springbok team and we are excited to see him pick up where he left off in 2023,” said Erasmus.

“He was a vital cog in the coaching team from 2019 to 2023, and his experience, professionalism, and excellent work ethic will make him a great addition to the fantastic coaching team we built from the beginning of 2024.

“Felix worked very closely with most of our coaches in the past, and I have no doubt he’ll work equally closely with Jerry (Flannery) and Tony (Brown), who joined us last season.“After spending some time in England, his experience of working in the UK and studying the opposition teams in the Six Nations and other international tournaments will add immense value in assisting us to adapt and improve as we cast an eye on a tough international season ahead.

“As a team we are well aware that we need to keep improving and growing if we want to remain one of the best teams in the world and to give ourselves the best possible chance to defend our World Cup title in Australia in 2027, and Felix, like all the other coaching and support staff, will play a key role in guiding us to do so.”

Of Lemmetjies, Erasmus said: “Lance worked with us during the British & Irish Lions series and also with the SA ‘A’ team, and we are excited to welcome him to the team.”

The Bok coach spoke equally highly Moore, who will serve as the team dietician: “Robyn is a highly qualified professional holding a Masters Degree from the University of Pretoria with graduate qualifications (BSc Dietetics) from the University of Stellenbosch.

“All three individuals are extremely hard workers, and they’ve worked with many of the players before, so we are confident they will slot in with ease.”

SA Rugby CEO Rian Oberholzer shared in the excitement in welcoming Jones, Lemmetjies, and Moore to the Springbok set-up and said their expertise would stand the team in good stead as they attempt to build on their success in the last few seasons.

“We all know the value that Felix added to the team during his time with the Springboks and we are confident his presence will strengthen the coaching group even further,” said Oberholzer.

“The management team behind the scenes plays an equally important role in ensuring that the team functions optimally from a player welfare and operational perspective so that the players have everything they need to perform to the best of their ability on the team, so it’s fantastic that Lance and Robyn are also on board to impart their knowledge and expertise.

“We believe these additions to the team will benefit Rassie and his support staff immensely.”

The Springbok coaches will host their first in-person planning block for the year from Friday 7 March followed by an alignment camp with 56 players in the Mother City from Monday 10 March, which will be followed by two virtual alignment camps with the Japanese and European-based players and a handful of talented and injured domestic players on Wednesday 27 March.

SPRINGBOK MANAGEMENT TEAM:

Rassie Erasmus: Head Coach

Charles Wessels: General Manager

Tony Brown: Assistant Coach

Deon Davids: Assistant Coach

Jerry Flannery: Assistant Coach

Daan Human: Assistant Coach

Felix Jones: Assistant Coach

Mzwandile Stick: Assistant Coach

Duane Vermeulen: Mobi-Unit Coach

Andy Edwards: Head of Athletic Performance

Jaco Peyper: Laws and Discipline Advisor

Paddy Sullivan: Performance Analyst

Lindsay Weyer: Technical Analyst

Sebastian Prim: Sport Scientist

Dr Jerome Lehlogonolo Mampane: Team Doctor

Dr Anuerin Robyn: Physiotherapist

Lance Lemmetjies: Physiotherapist

JJ Fredericks: Logistics Manager

Zintsika Tashe: Operations Manager

Zeena Isaacs van Tonder: Media Manager

Robyn Moore: Dietician