There was excitement all around on Wednesday as Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus and SA Rugby CEO Rian Oberholzer drilled into the details of Felix Jones’ role in South African rugby after rejoining the organisation from England earlier this week, while Jones said he was delighted to return.
The 37-year-old Jones was an assistant coach of the Rugby World Cup-winning Bok squads in 2019 and 2023, after which he joined England for a short stint before accepting an offer to return to South Africa at the beginning of the month.
While Erasmus explained Jones’ role in the Springbok coaching set-up at a media conference on Wednesday, Oberholzer said the former Ireland international would also be involved with other national teams within the union.
“We didn’t want to lose Felix in the first place, but his family was based in Ireland,” said Erasmus.
“I’m not sure why things didn’t work out for him over in England, but we are happy to have him back. We don’t have egos in the team, and we believe in sharing responsibilities as coaches, so he will be a valuable asset to the coaching team.”
Providing more detail on Jones’ role, Erasmus said: “He’ll be in charge of the player roadmaps and gathering all that information for us, as well as running the extras before and after training, so we plan to use him in all the different departments within our coaching matrix.
“He can assist Mzwandile Stick with the off-the-ball work, and all the other coaches with general tactics and detail in their respective departments, while he’ll also play a big role in the administrative side of things, so he has a lot on his plate.”
Oberholzer added: “Felix will also work with the Junior Springboks and Springbok Women so that we can ensure standardisation in the way things operate at the Springboks and our other national teams, which means he will also work very closely with our High-Performance Department headed up by Dave Wessels.
“This arrangement will certainly benefit all our national teams, and we are excited to see what he brings to the table once again at all of those levels.”
Commenting on his return to South Africa, where he has already dived into the deep end with Jerry Flannery at the Hollywoodbets Sharks this week, Jones said it is “incredibly exciting” to be back in the Springbok setup.
“South African rugby holds a special place in my heart and having the opportunity to be involved again with this world-class team that is working towards the 2027 Rugby World Cup, is something I’m very appreciative of,” said Jones.
“I’m eager to contribute to the culture and continued success of the Boks, and I’d like to thank Rassie and the entire SA Rugby leadership for their trust in me.
“I also look forward to reuniting with our coaching team – nearly all of whom I have worked very closely, with including Jerry going back to Munster when I first started working with Rassie and Jacques (Nienaber, former Springbok head coach).
“Having coached against Tony (Brown) and having followed his work over many years, I now look forward to collaborating with him as well.”
Jones added: “The team evolved significantly from 2019 to 2023, and it has already began evolving again, and I aim to help this team grow even further. My family and I are also looking forward to settling into South Africa soon before entering what is sure to be a challenging season on the field.”