He always knew that the Boks had to be winners on the field while also becoming a team that represented the entire nation. Person of the Year winner:An individual or group that has made the most significant and widespread positive contributions to the nation or the world as a whole. Springbok mentor Rassie Erasmus has redefined not only what it means to be a “mere” sports coach, but also what empathetic, accountable leadership looks like.
He has shown that success and toxicity, and success and exclusion, do not have to be the norms. The Bok coach has proven that success is not only defined in victories and titles, but also in empowerment, transparency and innovation. It’s for all these reasons and more that he has been chosen as the Daily Maverick Person of the Year for 2025.
Erasmus has probably done more for nation-building and making South Africans feel good about themselves and the country than any politician or entertainer in decades. The Springboks ended the year as the No 1-ranked team for a third successive season, and they added to their growing cache of silverware with more accolades in 2025. They won the Rugby Championship for a second successive season – the first time they’ve retained the southern hemisphere’s most prestigious crown.
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While doing it, they retained the Freedom Cup – contested against the All Blacks – as well as the Nelson Mandela Challenge Plate, which is awarded for clashes between the Springboks and the Wallabies. The Boks secured a record 43-10 win over New Zealand in Wellington, which was the All Blacks’ largest Test defeat yet. Erasmus’s men also won all five of their November tour matches in Europe and Britain, ended a 13-year losing streak in Ireland, and finished the season with 12victories in 14 Tests for an 86% winning ratio.
They scored 81 Test tries in those 14 matches, or 5.8 per game, which was another record. Malcolm Marx was named World Rugby Men’s 15s Player of the Year and his teammates Ox Nché and Pieter-Steph du Toit were also on the four-man shortlist for the prestigious individual title. Young flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu had a breakthrough year, highlighted by a Bok-record 37-point haul against Argentina in Durban. In total, 49 players were used in 14 Tests, and the Boks grew their attacking game, evolving their style of play in wider areas while doubling down on their power play.
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