Sean Erasmus' victory as coach of the year 2016 was maybe expected given his success at Boishaai the past two seasons. But the question must be asked what makes him successful as a schoolboy rugby coach?
Coaching your team to become one of the most successful in not only the school's history but also in the county's history does certainly counts. Taking into account that weekend after weekend you play schools of similar strength and passion, a lot of planning and coaching is needed. Gone are the days of three coaching sessions during the week and play on Saturday. However, a lot of schoolboy rugby coaches and supporters would say with all the talent available to Sean at Boishaai, even a ballet teacher could coach them to the no1 spot.
Having an abundance of talent to coach is one thing but to harness that into one team takes something very special. Sean decided early in 2015 to invest time in the players’ lives on and off the field. Discipline and having a sound team ethos, which the players value, was vital. The coaching staff believed that in teaching boys about faith and the good values of life, manners and being humble, improves the person and helped in moulding a group of individuals into a very successful team.
All of the above would be useless if it was not for Sean's acceptance that he as coach, does not know everything. His eagerness to listen and learn throughout his career as coach, ensured that he is not only up to date in new coaching methods and strategies but is also seen as one of the leading minds in developing the game and players.
Nice guys never win they say. Well, Sean Erasmus is the living proof that this is not true. But I must admit when my team is competing against Boishaai, I do not want this good guy to win, I really want him to lose, badly.