Beware of the wardrobe: South Africa head coach Rassie Erasmus reveals he has been wearing a ‘lucky shirt’ en route to the Rugby World Cup final against England
- Rassie Erasmus believes his lucky shirt may help South Africa to World Cup glory
- South Africa will face England in Yokahama on Saturday in the World Cup final
- Erasmus has disclosed his unusual lucky charm to steer the Springboks to glory
South Africa head coach Rassie Erasmus has revealed his unassuming lucky charm for Saturday’s World Cup final against England – a white shirt.
The Springboks booked their place in Saturday’s final with a 19-16 win over Wales and Erasmus believes his choice of clothing may hold the key to the World Cup crown.
The South Africa boss wore the same white golf shirt until South Africa lost their first game of 2019 against New Zealand in September, so now he’s changed tack – to another white shirt.
South Africa head coach Rassie Erasmus sporting his lucky white shirt for the World Cup final
The Springboks recorded a nervy 19-16 win over Wales to set up the title-decider vs England
Erasmus said after win over Wales: ‘Every time last year, since I started coaching and we lost a match, I changed my clothing.
‘Last year, I had to change quite a lot because we lost quite a lot. This year, I had to change it only once.
‘So, I’m hoping I can wear this until the end of the final. This is my lucky shirt so far.’
Handre Pollard kicked the winning penalty for South Africa on 76 minutes in a nail-biting game
Erasmus’ superstitions have steered South Africa to 16 wins from 25 Test matches under his stewardship, the Boks recording a win rate of 64% during his near two-year spell.
Lifting the World Cup against an England side high-flying in confidence after their defeat of New Zealand would represent the South Africa coach’s greatest achievement in charge.
It would be South Africa’s first World Cup trophy since 1995, and so fine are the margins of the game, Rassie Erasmus will be hoping his white shirt can make all the difference.