Springbok legend Bryan Habana sings Rassie Erasmus' praises

South Africa have dominated world rugby over the past five years with two concescutive Rugby World Cup titles as well as winning the Rugby Championship twice in a row.

The team has also performed exceptionally well in Test series at home and away against Northern Hemisphere opposition, headlined by their unbeaten run in the November Series in 2025 in which they beat both France and Italy with just 14 players on the pitch for most of both matches.

The defining characteristic of the current Springbok setup is how they have shifted away from a purely forward-focused game to a hybrid system that sets up an attacking backline by dominating up front.

Habana believes much of the success South Africa is seeing on the international stage is down to the systems Erasmus has set up in his time as head coach and director of rugby, as well as how he is constantly looking to evolve the team and the way he coaches.

"He has never sort of stayed stagnant in by doing the same things repeatedly over and over again," said Habana in an interview with News24.

"He's brought in phenomenal expertise, Jacques Nienaber initially, and then he brought in the likes of Daan Human. We've got Tony Brown, Felix Jones and Jerry Flannery."

As the Springboks record try-scorer, Habana is also incredibly excited about the firepower available to the Springboks backline, especially out wide on the wings.

"Cheslin [Kolbe] is just box office, one of the best the game, not just South Africa, has ever seen," he said.

“But then there's Kurt-Lee Arendse, Ethan Hooker and Edwill van der Merwe that's really pushing the boundaries.”