Former Ireland flank Peter O’Mahony says Rassie Erasmus was “the right coach at the right time” for Munster back in 2016.
Erasmus joined the Irish club as director of rugby in July 2016, but following the sudden death of head coach Anthony “Axel” Foley later that year, he stepped in as interim head coach for the rest of the season.
The South African would remain in the role until 2018, when the Springbok job became available – a role he couldn’t turn down.
Reflecting on Erasmus’ impact at Munster, O’Mahony told The Good, Bad & The Rugby podcast that his character and methods made him a perfect fit.
“Yeah, he’s completely mental – but in a good way. He was exactly what we needed at the time. After Axel passed away, we were completely lost, and Rassie had to step in. He went back to basics: turning up properly for training, no shortcuts, no excuses. He got rid of the nonsense in the club and gave us real clarity.
“He takes a huge amount of pressure off the players. He’ll absorb all the media attention himself – either by creating a distraction or by putting it on his shoulders if we lost. Publicly it was never on the players, even if he gave us a hard time in the changing room.”
O’Mahony said Erasmus also had a unique way of inspiring players before big matches.
“His ability to wind you up emotionally is unbelievable. He’d tell these powerful stories from his own career, and you couldn’t help but react. I’ve seen the same kind of speeches in Springbok documentaries – he was using those with us too.”
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While Erasmus could be demanding, the Irish legend said he also created an environment where players felt supported.
“Compared to someone like [Erasmus’ successor] Johann van Graan, who had a real open-door policy, Rassie’s door was firmly closed. He’d say, ‘If you’ve got a serious problem and you’ve tried to sort it out yourself, then come to me.’ He was very much in charge.
“But he also looked after us – setting up family boxes at the stadium, a crèche for the kids. His attitude was: ‘Tell me what you need so you can focus only on performing.’ Then he sorted the rest. At training, though, there were no excuses.
“It’s the same now with South Africa: if you can’t train on Monday, you’re not available for selection,” O’Mahony added. “He had that same rule with us at Munster. You had to pitch up, even at 60 or 70%, otherwise you weren’t being picked. It changed the whole attitude around the squad.
“He was brilliant for us – just the right coach at the right time.”
Photo: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images
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