Former Ireland and Munster scrumhalf Conor Murray admits he wonders what might have been had Rassie Erasmus stayed in Limerick a little longer.
Murray, who played under Erasmus during his stint at Munster, believes the Boks boss was destined for greatness long before back-to-back World Cup titles confirmed it.
“I was disappointed Rassie Erasmus left Munster, we knew he was special,” Murray told BetVictor.
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“Rassie is amazing. I was just so disappointed that he left once because we knew he was special, as he has proved winning back-to-back World Cups and the Rugby Championship. We knew he had something really good with him and Jacques Nienaber too.”
Murray went even further in his praise.
“Rassie is a genius. Felix Jones or Jerry Flannery, both of whom worked with him, described Rassie as a chess grandmaster who is just five or six steps ahead of everyone all the time. He sees the game like no one else and how he can deliver a message is remarkable. His intelligence levels are high, as are his emotional levels. He can create a narrative for a week, any given week, and have everyone buying into it. His tactical nous is supreme.”
He also pointed to the depth Erasmus has at his disposal heading into next year’s World Cup.
“It’s also a bonus generation when you have that number of players. It’s just a ridiculous generation! People say they have two or three players for most positions. But South Africa has two or three 15s that would absolutely compete on the international stage. He is an insanely good coach with a player pool to match.”
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And the lingering regret remains.
“We didn’t get long enough with him at Munster. I would have loved longer with him because we would have been onto something. I thought we would have been successful. And we were nearly successful when he was there. If we had another year or two with him, I think we could have done something special.”
Photo: Diarmuid Greene/Sportsfile via Getty Images
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