SPOTLIGHT: Malcolm Marx did not mince his words when he explained Rassie Erasmus’ impact on the Springboks.

The powerhouse hooker was a guest on the latest episode of the Aotearoa Rugby Pod where he talked about Erasmus’ relationship with the players and his penchant for producing brilliant ideas.

After guiding the Boks to back-to-back World Cup victories, Erasmus almost has a cult status amongst fans in South Africa.

A few pundits in New Zealand pressed Marx for some information on the star coach. From a player’s perspective, he explained why Rassie is so good.

“I think it is the transparency that we get as players. It is very open with clear messages,” said Marx.

“There is nothing done behind closed doors, and if you’ve got a question, you can walk up and ask him.

“But it is just the way that he thinks outside the box – for me, his knowledge of the game is incredible.

“Just the stuff that he does and the way he coaches is quite inspiring and to see what he has done from 2018 to 2024 is absolutely incredible.

“He is definitely the best coach that I’ve had.”

Marx was asked if Erasmus was the “brains behind the Springboks’ innovative plays”.

“It’s more of a group thing,” Marx explained.

“Obviously, Rassie has got his plans and his stuff, but the nice thing about it is that if a player or coach comes up with an idea, it’s not just a decision made by one person, it’s a collective decision made by everybody.

“There are tweaks and stuff. A move is not just generated by one person; everybody buys into it and hopefully it works.”

Marx added: “At times you want to laugh, but then there is always method behind the madness.

“You want to laugh, but when you see it come off, then you are like, ‘I see why it has worked and why you were thinking that way’.

“Like I said, it is thinking outside the box. It’s not something any international team would do and we try to execute it to the best of our ability.”