Rassie: Stories of Life and Rugby

by Rassie Erasmus

Rassie Erasmus has been called a genius. He’s been called reckless. All his life, he’s done things differently. Now, with his trademark candour, Rassie talks openly about his adventures and misadventures.

He reveals the turmoil of living with an alcoholic father and growing up in the conservative town of Despatch. He looks back on an exemplary career as a player, whose innate rugby instincts, ability to read a game differently, and appetite for hard work set him apart. While his teammates relaxed, he preferred to watch hours of video to devise winning strategies. When given the opportunity to lead his country as Springbok captain, he refused the honour.

Rassie recalls how he became an important cog in Nick Mallett’s record-breaking Springbok team of the late 1990s. He remembers the anguish of the 1999 World Cup and the devastating injuries that cut short his playing career. He discusses his revolutionary coaching methods, which were initially laughed off and then eagerly adopted, how he fought the rugby establishment at the Stormers and earned the respect of Irish fans at Munster.

Rassie talks about his greatest contribution to South African rugby, appointing its first black captain, Siya Kolisi, without much fanfare or controversy, as his bold plans for effective racial transformation of the national team achieved immediate success, culminating in triumph at the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
Readers will enjoy the behind-the-scenes information about interactions and controversies and previously untold stories from a truly maverick life.

Genres: Biography, Audiobook, Autobiography, Sports, Leadership, Africa

348 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 1, 2023

Reviews

[JD · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great and candid book by the legend himself, Rassie Erasmus. He takes you from his upbringing and schooling in Despatch, where he saw the great Danie Gerber and the other hard men of Despatch playing rugby and only dreamt of representing Despatch First XV. This was really interesting to see his circumstances in which he grew up and how that formed him as the man he became.

He takes you more behind the scenes during his rugby playing career for the Cheetahs, the Cats and the Springboks, I remember this time as I was a teen back then and Erasmus was one of my favorite players as I also played flanker at the time. His coaching career then took off for the Cheetahs where he led them to their first Currie Cup trophy in decades. Here he quickly caught everyone's attention with his colored lights used to guide his team and his new tactics which made that Cheetahs team so successful.

He went on to work with South Africa's different national teams, before heading to Munster in Ireland for a few years. His greatest achievement though was when he came back to coach the Springboks in 2018. SA was ranked number 7 in the world at this time, just 18 months before the 2019 World Cup in Japan, and what Rassie did in those 18 months is just incredible where he steered us to an unlikely World Cup win, and inspired our nation during really dark days domestically.

The last part of the book cover the 2021 British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa and all the controversies surrounding the series that centered around the Rassie Video and his criticism of match officials and the fall out of that which lead to his yearlong match days ban.

The book was published before the 2023 World Cup and the Springbok triumph there that just cemented Rassie's legend status even more. Rassie is a true patriot and his love for SA Rugby, and rugby in general shines through in this book. If you're a South African, you love Rassie for everything he has done for this country and because he is a lekker ou. And though other nations may hate him for his outspokenness, no one can deny that Rassie is truly one of the all time great coaches in rugby that is at the forefront of innovation and really thinks outside the box. I cannot wait to see what Rassie and his team comes up with this next in our quest for the three-peat!!
GO BOKKE!!

[Stephen Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read for all sports lovers. It's a very real book, which just makes it even better.

[Eugene Swanepoel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Read

I found it raw and honest. Normal bloke next door with a real passion and skill for rugby. I recommend

[Rirhandzu Rissenga · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I don't consider myself to have been a special rugby player, but I had an ability to see things other players couldn't see. I knew if I just did what the other boys were doing on the field, I wouldn't be any better than them.
I had to find a way to do things differently. I wasn't the biggest or the fastest person on the field. But I could anticipate and react quicker, and that made me a better player.”

After watching Chasing the Sun 2 decided to pick this book to learn more about Rassie the genius. I love memoirs cos then you get to understand what shaped this person that we’ve come to admire their great work. So with Rassie’s story as well he shares his upbringing and where his love for rugby started. He grew up in a small town called Despatch in the Eastern Cape where he said he wasn’t really exposed to much than rugby which ended up opening opportunities for him to leave the place and go see what the world has to offer. His upbringing had challenges where his father was a functioning alcoholic as a result he died when Rassie was still very young so he missed out on an opportunity to see him do great things.

Then Rassie went to share about his journey as a player to when he ended up as a coach. So he detailed the strategies and how things turned out in most of the matches from your test to World Cup games, at some point it was death by rugby matches but I understood that he had to give context and why certain decisions were taken. I liked his rationale when it comes to transformation that it’s about merit and the people who will be able to do the job. If it means a Siya or a Mampipi who is black are going to win those games why should they not make the team. And I liked when he said at times he’s bias when it comes to selections saying if you put 2 players that are equally deserving but one came with a gravel road and the other came with a tar road, he would choose the one who came in a gravel because he understands that the gravel road is not easy.

Some takeaways was you need to invest in your career but developing your skill so that it helps you to do your job better. He said when he started he bought this other computer that was loaded with a program to help him analyse the game which helped him to be a better player and a better coach later.
Also have a solid support system around you , with people that you share your dreams and values with it makes life easy. With this I liked the relationship he has with Jacques Nienaber, when he moved to Ireland he negotiated a deal for Jacques as well and they were able to carry on with their friendship while working there together and even when he came back to South Africa he also negotiated for him as well.

Memoirs are generally hard to rate cos it’s someone’s story but I liked it and also expanded my knowledge of rugby and hope Rassie will continue to impact positively in the sport as he said in the end he is working with developers to come up with software to help enhance the game.

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting listen especially at this time while the World Cup is on. As much as I love rugby, I could've done without the blow-by-blow account of some of the games though. Rassie does sound like an intensively passionate and emotional person. Co-incidentially, whilst reading this, I chatted to two different people here in Ireland who worked with him at Munster and both said the same thing, an amazing guy who is extremely passionate about what he does and a natural leader. Will be interesting to watch what happens with the rest of his career. (Did have to speed up the narration though - not narrated by Rassie himself unfortunately and was a tad slow for my liking).

[Cara Halliday · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a lekker read! I thoroughly enjoyed every chapter. My key takeaways I want to apply to my business.

Rassie:

- Don’t have 1/1 have group conversations with the team. Open and transparency.
- Alignent not strategy
- Motivating team: make it personal, personal emotions last longer. They are working for something important to them. Not about their egos. Making their families proud you can hype them up
- When you make a decision on emotions when selecting a player dont put them in the squad
- A team talk must either be tactical or personal not emotional
- Budget: means nothing. England World Cup budget was more than SA entire rugby budget for all the teams.

[Diego Atterbury · Rating 4 out of 5]

** Audiobook** How lucky are we to get such a privileged insight into the mind of Rassie. Even more epic reading this during RWC 2023. Very well written. There are definitely some secrets which have been remained so. I’m sure, once he’s retired, we will be treated to the full truth of the genius. Thanks for the great book. Not bad for a ‘boytjie from Despatch’!

[Eddy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ekt Rassie se boek baie geniet. Baie maklik om te lees. Voel of ek Rassie amper persoonlik ken na hierdie lees. Geluk met nog 'n wêreldbeker in die sakkie.

[Charl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the rugby story and the story behind the scene. It is an eye opening story.

[Reinher Behrens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rassie Rassie Rassie… jou doring!

[Tim Tat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ik zal heel eerlijk zeggen dat ik voor het lezen van dit boek mijn vooroordelen over de succescoach van de Springbokke had. Zijn constante kritiek op scheidsrechters, die zelfvoldane kop en het eindeloos in de slachtofferrol kruipen hebben ervoor gezorgd dat het een paar maanden duurde voordat ik toch besloot ‘Rassie’ te kopen. Het feit dat de beste man toch twee keer achter elkaar de Wereldbeker heeft gewonnen en de wijze waarop hij keer op keer het rugby weet te veranderen gaven uiteindelijk de doorslag.

De eerste hoofdstukken lezen lekker weg. Rassie, eigenlijke naam Johan, wordt geboren in Despatch aan de Oostkaap van Zuid-Afrika vlak bij Port Elizabeth. Het is een grotendeels blank dorp en het gezin Erasmus is niet bepaald rijk. Door zijn alcoholistische vader is sport en later met name rugby een welkome afleiding voor de ‘boytie’. Het boek is trouwens doorspekt met ‘Afrikaanse’ woorden wat ik persoonlijk erg leuk vind. Rassies grote droom is de Curry Cup winnen met Freestate, maar langzaam maar zeker wordt zijn talent ontdekt en speelt hij zich als flanker in de Springbokke waarmee hij uiteindelijk op het WK van 1999 in Wales speelt. Hij maakt de overgang van amateur- naar profsport mee en geniet met volle teugen van de voordelen van een betaalde carrière, iets te veel zelfs. Hij is een van de eerste (spelers) die videoanalyses gebruikt als hij tevens gaat coachen. Als hij in Ierland bij Munster gaat coachen, samen met zijn maatje Jacques Nienaber, krijgen we een mooi inzicht wat dat voor iemand betekent die zich toch moet aanpassen aan een heel andere leefomgeving, maar het volledig omarmt.

Het tweede deel van het boek vond ik minder. Het is wel erg duidelijk dat zijn ‘ghostwriter’, David O’Sullivan, schrijver en verslaggever over rugby bij de Zuid-Afrikaanse televisie, groot fan is van ‘het genie’ Erasmus. De voorbereiding voor het WK van 2019 komt uitgebreid aan bod, maar over de wedstrijden in Japan had ik graag wat meer gelezen. Het lijkt wel alsof we doorrazen naar de Lions Tour van 2021 en de controverses die Erasmus tot een buiten Zuid-Afrika vaak gehate man maken. Zijn video’s over Nick Berry en later o.a. Ben O’Keeffe en Wayne Barnes worden natuurlijk goedgepraat in dit boek en de laatste twee hoofdstukken waren voor mij bijna onleesbaar door de slachtofferrol waarin Rassie zich trekt.

Rassie heeft ongetwijfeld een blijvende bijdrage geleverd aan rugby in Zuid-Afrika met zijn benoeming van een zwarte captain (Siya Kolisi) het opzetten van ‘pathways’, zijn manier van analyseren en coachen. Zijn gedrevenheid is aanstekelijk, maar mijn vooroordelen werden helaas niet weggenomen. Voor Saffa rugbyfans is dit boek natuurlijk een must en ik denk eigenlijk voor elke rugbycoach. ‘Rassie’, is niet meer dan een doorsnee biografie, maar als volger van onze sport toch zeker aan te raden.

Natuurlijk bestel je dit boek bij je plaatselijke boekhandel, zo steunen we de lokale ondernemer.

[Oliver Lovebook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rassie: Stories of Life and Rugby is a compelling and candid memoir that offers a deep dive into the mind of one of rugby’s most enigmatic and successful figures, Rassie Erasmus. With a mix of brutal honesty and unexpected vulnerability, Erasmus recounts his journey from a small-town boy in the Free State to a World Cup-winning coach. The writing, ably supported by journalist David O’Sullivan, is crisp, engaging, and packed with anecdotes that reveal both the man and the strategist. What sets the book apart is Erasmus’s willingness to confront controversy head-on, including his battles with rugby authorities and his infamous video critique during the Lions series.

At its heart, Rassie is more than just a sports biography—it’s a story of leadership under pressure, innovation in a conservative sport, and resilience in the face of personal and professional setbacks. The book does not shy away from difficult topics, including mental health, transformation in South African rugby, and the challenges of fatherhood. Fans of the Springboks will appreciate the behind-the-scenes look at the 2019 Rugby World Cup, but the memoir’s emotional depth broadens its appeal beyond the rugby community. Erasmus's voice is authentic throughout, balancing humour, introspection, and an occasional sharp edge. Overall, Rassie is a must-read for anyone interested in the human stories behind sporting glory.

[Matt N · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ghostwritten autobiographies often feel arrogant and egotistical. No exception here.

[Ryan Mizzen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rassie Erasmus is a leading rugby coach, who was responsible for taking the Springboks from a low point, to world cup champions in less than two years. It was a phenomenal achievement that also included winning the Rugby Championship in the same year as the World Cup (2019), which had never been done before. This was followed by a win of the Lions tour of South Africa in 2021.

The 2019 RWC interested me the most, and if you watched the Chasing The Sun documentary, then you'll be familiar with much of that part of the book. I was also hoping to learn more about his leadership style and principles. While this book covers some of them, it doesn't go into any depth.

Rassie speaks openly about the video controversy during the Lions tour, and gives his reasoning for why he did what he did. He also covers some of his controversial tweets in 2022. To think all that controversy might have been avoided if World Rugby had listened and acted on his initial concerns (which other international coaches are now also raising, as mentioned in the book).

All in all, a great read about a rugby legend. I hope there will be a follow-up book at some point talking about his extensive leadership knowledge.

[Karla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hulle weet nie wat ons weet nie.

Ek het die boek begin lees, want dit was wêreldbeker en die boek was op die tafel. Ek het die boek aanhou lees, want ek kon nie anders.

Dit was maklik en insiggewend. Elke oomblik was 'n straf, want almal om my wou nog die boek lees en ek wou hulle vertel van hierdie snaakse storie of daardie sê-ding. Die boek is goed geskryf, die stories boeiend, die man 'n legende, en die lees 'n plesier.

Die boek het defitief my ervaring van die wêreldbeker verryk en my belangstelling in rugby, Rassie en ras aangevuur.

[Nicholas Bestbier · Rating 2 out of 5]

Slightly strangely written book. The 1st half focussed on Rassie’s childhood, playing career and initial parts of his coaching stint are very interesting and full of insight. The latter half is filled with blow by blow commentary of Springbok games he presided over - this part feels unnecessarily tedious. That said, Rassie is a legend and it is worth a read!

[Adam Botha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uitstekend en inspirerend. Dit het rerig gevoel asof mens luister na iemand wat 'n storie vertel om die kampvuur.

[Tim Vieyra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book if you are a passionate South African and / or wanting to be a better leader. Especially if you want to learn about leadership of people from diverse backgrounds. Here are my take aways:

1. Rassie Erasmus was instrumental in the credible transformation of bok rugby, in a way that made the team phenomenally stronger. He proved that tapping a larger talent base means a better team. Perhaps the greatest ever.
This is the story of South Africa. We have talent. We need development of the human capital.
2. This process didn't start when Rassie took over the reins. It has been a lifelong mission of his. He was instrumental in starting a pipeline for talented players when working for SARU.
This was called the Elite Player Development (EPD) pathway and included identifying players early and helping to get them the support they needed - which included getting them to better schools. The rugby schools system in ZA is an incredible asset - and must be leveraged.
3. In leadership, alignment is crucial. The main focus of Rassie's camps with the Springbok squad was TALKING. making sure they understood what was expected of them and making sure they were involved in the thinking.
4. Rassie demands both humility and performance from every player-many of them super stars.Then trusts them as professionals to do their jobs. Not everyone has to be a leader but everyone has to demonstrate ownership of their own job.He also does not tolerate prima donnas.
5. You dont have to be perfectly polished to be a great leader. Rassie has embraced who he is and because of that has created a loyalty and following amongst players, coaches and fans that is super rare. He cares a lot about the team and the country and people know that.
6. You can't fake passion.And passion + talent always wins. It will push harder and go the extra mile.Passionless talent will always do an adequate job. But combined with passion will change the world.
Thank you Rassie for taking South Africa on this incredible journey 🇿🇦

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...

[Yolie Mdiya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually bought the book to learn more about strategy. The extent of the descriptions of the games was helpful for context and required patience from a person who is really not an enthusiastic. There are lessons in the book for corporate leaders. I’ll highlight two human resource lessons and a personal one.
1. Recruitment alone is not enough for the development of a sportsman (employee). Recruitment needs to be accompanied by a roadmap: recruitment + development + monitor progress + succession planning.

2. Transformation is not mere selection or meeting quotas. It requires intentionality. Equal opportunity needs to be measured from an equal premise. Through the EPD Pathway programme, Rassie levelled the field for black and coloured players: this meant implementing enablers to access the opportunities. This could be access to good nutrition, mentor, or school that has clinical facilities.

3. Finally, Rassie was honest about experiencing self-doubt even with the many years he had under his belt. The lesson in overcoming self-doubt is testing yourself. You have to be willing to put yourself out there.

[De Wet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read, especially for those who don't like Rassie. Might put some things into perspective and make you think a little differently about the man. Nice to get some insight into the happenings during the period he was a player, the use of the famous lights and other gimmicks, as well as his provincial coaching and 2019 World Cup. His childhood and early rugby also makes for good reading. This is the best part of the book, the first two thirds or so.

On the downside, it's a pity so much time is spent on the whole referee video thing towards the end. It was undoubtedly a hard blow for Rassie being banned from the game for a year, but far too much effort is expended to explain it all away. There were surely more interesting things to fill those pages with.

You get the feeling in other parts of the book as well that Rassie felt a need to explain himself to the public, like his health struggles. I won't begrudge him that, the guy has been under siege from a lot of people so it's only natural and human to want to set the record straight. Sometimes he just tries a little too hard here, and die hard critics will still believe what they want.

[MartyS · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lost a few stars as it really scrapes the surface of an otherwise interesting sports personality and legend of the game.

Also incredibly poorly written. Literally feels like a child has written it with all the tautology and poor grammar. This seems to be a symptom of many sports biographies etc.

Felt the book could be more detailed instead of saying “lekker” 7 million times and how “simple” Rassie is. Really think the book would have benefitted with more depth.

Rassie is not near the end of his career or life. I think this could have been a preemptive autobiography and waiting another few years wouldn’t have hurt.

As an avid rugby fan I thought this was lacking in so many respects despite having tremendous love and respect for Rassie in real life. This book does him a disservice.

[Ian Badger Stewie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did the audiobook for this which I thoroughly enjoyed. The book is read by an Afrikaner speaking English who reads the book really well and gives it an authentic feel. I enjoyed the book as I think it gives a lot of insight into how Rassie thinks and how he is the person that he is today. I'm not sure if this will be as compelling a read for anyone that isn't South African though. The book is a bit repetitive at times, but I couldn't mark it down as it brought back some great memories for me of previous epic games played by the Springboks and for what rugby and Rassie has done for our country of South Africa.

[Saul Kamionsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the stories in Rassie’s book that stood out for me was how he got Werner ‘Smiley’ Swanepoel more money than he hoped for from the no-nonsense Louis Luyt.

Rassie’s incredible memory comes through in the book. He vividly recalls conversations from the 1990s and even instances when he went to the toilet!

He also shares practical coaching nuggets along the way.

[Gabi Viljoen · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a must read for my dude Rassie, and I enjoyed the content he shared (especially setting the record straight!), however u couldn’t help but feel that it was a rush publication or room for improvement in the writing/editing, the flow was a bit off.
Nonetheless, I’ll always love you Rassie! Now on to Siya’s book…

[Megan Kelosiwang · Rating 5 out of 5]

I might be biased but I'm a big fan of Rassie and this book is exactly what I was hoping for. It's raw without being self indulgent and honest without being apologetic. I enjoyed the structure of the book and the way it links to his coaching and development philosophy. Great bloke who has never known a moment of being a wallflower.

[Robert Luke · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very frank and honest account of his life in rugby. A clear and innovative thinker who shows compassion and empathy to all that he is involved with.
I loved reading this as his work and inspiration with the Springboks culminated in a wonderful 2019 RWC crown!

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed reading about the background to a very interesting and at times controversial character. Perfectly timed with us wining the World Cup, could definitely tie some of the stories in the book to his coaching decisions in RWC 2023.

[Bryan Coughtrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend. Honest and insightful. A lot of controversy surrounds Rassie, but this books gives his version of events and sheds light on a great man. He has evolved the game of rugby and this book highlights how and why he did it.

[Francois Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read which only galvanized my admiration for Rassie. Well written and an intimate insight into the “real” Rassie. I would love a revised and updated edition that includes a chapter(s) about the 2023 World Cup journey.

[Jacqui Burnett · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Rassie Erasmus and would give Rassie 10 stars for the life he has lived, his choices (good and bad) and for his accomplishments. I sadly found the writing lacking and hence the 3 stars.
If you are a Rassie fan - it is a must read.