Rassie Erasmus Explained How the French National Anthem Helped the Boks Defend the Rugby World Cup

• Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus shared how he used a boombox to prepare the Boks for their Rugby World Cup quarterfinal against France
• Speaking on the third episode of Chasing the Sun 2, Erasmus explained how he played the French national anthem all through the Boks training session before the 29-28 victory.
• Fans applauded Erasmus for his genius tactics and said it worked perfectly to prepare the world champions

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus explained how he used a speaker to motivate his squad to win the Rugby World Cup in October 2023.

Erasmus, who was awarded an honorary doctorate by NWU, said he played the French national anthem ahead of the Boks' 29-28 quarterfinal victory over France on Sunday, 15 October.

Rassie Erasmus used music to help the Boks

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Erasmus explains his tactics in the video below:

Speaking on a snippet from the third episode of Chasing the Sun 2, Erasmus said he played the French national anthem to get his team used to the noise and atmosphere of the match.

Erasmus said:

"We just put that [French national anthem] on replay all the time... By the Wednesday, Duane [Vermeulen] said I know this song better than the French, can you please stop doing this and I said no."

During the victory over France, winger Cheslin Kolbe famously charged down Thomas Ramos' attempt at a conversion, which he spoke about in the second episode of the series.

Fans applaud Erasmus' tactic

Local rugby fans heaped praise on Erasmus for his unique way of preparing the Boks, who beat New Zealand 12-11 on Sunday, 23 October, in the final of the Rugby World Cup.

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Jolpoppy34 kept it short and sweet:

"Genius."

Mihlali Qotoyi1 said the tactic worked to perfection:

"That’s why they weren’t panicking because they were prepared for it."

NzwanoJ praised the tactic:

"Such preparation!"

Andre Britz heaped praise on Erasmus:

"Great plan by Rassie, always thinks out of the box."

Mduduzi Hadebe is a fan of Erasmus:

"This man is a genius."

Siya Kolisi accepts losing Book captaincy

As reported by Briefly News, Bok skipper Siya Kolisi has accepted he will lose the armband as coach Rassie Erasmus prefers a local-based captain.

Kolisi moved to French side Racing 92 after guiding the Boks to the Rugby World Cup glory and said he knew moving to France would cost him the armband.

Source: Briefly News