Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has shared details of his meeting with Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos, revealing they bonded over the shared pressures of coaching a national team.

“We just talked about the difference in psyche and ways of how football players think,” Erasmus replied to Sportswire on Tuesday.

“You try to learn about how they manage people and manage pressure; do they feel the same stuff that you are feeling, do they also get to dark places sometimes, like you get and try and keep the self-belief.”

The meeting, however, preceded a tough day for Erasmus and the Springboks, as they suffered their first home defeat to the Wallabies at Ellis Park Stadium in 63 years.

The team, defending Rugby Championship champions, failed to score a single point in the second half, allowing Australia to secure their first win on South African soil in 17 years.

Broos’s Turnaround Story and Coaching Philosophy

Broos was appointed in May 2021 when Bafana Bafana was struggling after failing to qualify for the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). He promised to leave if the team did not qualify for the next tournament. Broos delivered on his promise, not only securing qualification but also leading the team to a bronze medal at the AFCON, their first in 24 years.

Erasmus noted that Broos’s experience in different countries provided valuable insight. “He was in Cameroon [where he won the AFCON in 2017], and he told me about the interesting personalities, sort of things he had to manage there and how different from country to country,” Erasmus said.

“So, you do feel you are going through the same feeling. Sometimes you doubt your decisions a little bit, sometimes it gets to you and in other times you tend to handle it.”

Qualification on the Line for Bafana Bafana

While the Springboks are a major global brand with back-to-back Rugby World Cup titles, Bafana Bafana is on the verge of a significant achievement: qualifying for the FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Bafana Bafana is currently at the top of Group C with 17 points, three points ahead of Benin. However, their position is under scrutiny as the South African Football Association (SAFA) is being investigated by FIFA for allegedly fielding an ineligible player, Teboho Mokoena, in their March qualifier win over Lesotho.

Mokoena had accumulated two yellow cards, which should have resulted in a one-match suspension. If Bafana Bafana were to be docked points, Benin would take the top spot.

In the African qualifiers, only the group winners automatically qualify for the World Cup. The four best-placed runners-up will get a second chance via a play-off round.