Malcolm Marx hails the ‘method to Rassie Erasmus’ madness’ and the Springboks boss’ outside of the box approach

Malcolm Marx reveals Rassie Erasmus’ Springboks ‘methods’ that other teams won’t go.

Malcolm Marx hails Rassie Erasmus as the ‘best coach’ has worked with and reveals the method to his madness.

Malcolm Marx has hailed Rassie Erasmus as the “best coach” he has ever had and detailed how the Springboks boss gets buy-in from the squad.

Marx has been a central figure in South Africa’s success over the years, featuring heavily in matchday squads since his Test debut in 2016.

He has racked up 76 appearances for the Boks, winning the Rugby World Cup in 2019 and 2023 with the side, although he suffered an injury in the pool stages of the latter.

Upon his return to international rugby in 2024, Marx featured 12 times for the Springboks, scoring four tries, including a brace against Australia in Perth.

Springboks’ collaborative approach

Last year, the Springboks showed clear signs of innovation in their game, with their attack notably different under new assistant coach Tony Brown, but Erasmus‘ side also came up with a few trick plays that they utilised, particularly at lineout time.

Appearing on the Aotearoa Rugby Pod, Marx was asked if it is the Springboks head coach who comes up with all the trick plays and innovation. While he confirmed that it is not all one man’s idea, he revealed that Erasmus creates a collaborative environment for the coaches and players.

“It’s more a group thing,” the Bok hooker admitted.

“Obviously, Rassie has got his plans and stuff but the nice thing about it is whether it’s a player or a coach who 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 obviously tweaks and stuff that are made but a move or something like that isn’t just generated by one person and everybody obviously buys into it and hopefully, it works.”

He added: “At times we want to laugh but there is always a method to the madness, so you want to laugh but then you see it come off and you’re like ‘Okay I see why it’s worked and why you were thinking that way’.

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

Why Rassie is such a great coach

While the Springboks players clearly enjoy the collaborative environment, what makes Erasmus such a great coach in Marx’s eyes is how transparent the head coach is.

Erasmus has earned a reputation for being open and honest with the players, with the coach speaking to players as a group where others might make use of one-on-ones.

“I think the transparency that we get as players,” Marx replied when asked what makes Erasmus such a good coach.

“It is very open and clear messages. There’s nothing done behind closed doors and if you’ve got a question, you can walk up to him and ask him that.

“But I think just the way that he thinks outside the box, his knowledge of the game is just incredible and just the stuff he does and the way he coaches it’s quite inspiring.

“To see what he’s done from 2018 to 2023 and 2024, it’s absolutely incredible and definitely the best coach that I’ve had.”