New Rassie Erasmus biography reveals 'shy, introverted, hyper-focused' leader

The Money Show's Bruce Whitfield speaks to David O’Sullivan, author of 'Rassie: Stories of Life and Rugby'.

Rassie Erasmus, known for his 'genius' and unconventional methods, shares his life story in a biography called 'Rassie: Stories of Life and Rugby'.

The biography is a book about leadership (Erasmus 'goes to war for South Africa'), a 'genius' strategist and a man who united a nation while coaching the Springboks to back-to-back Rugby World Cups.

O'Sullivan jokes that, while Rassie's peers and fans call him a genius, he thinks it's 'windgat' and doesn't see himself that way.

But, who was Rassie before being a 'genius' rugby legend? That's what the memoir dives into. 

In the book, Rassie talks about growing up with an alcoholic father in conservative Despatch, his remarkable rugby career, and his dedication to strategy.

After a long career as a player, Erasmus was knocked out by injury and moved into management before becoming one of the most successful coaches the game has ever known.

O’Sullivan says having the 'wrong impression' of Rassie made it easy to write the memoir.

"Once I sat with him, very quickly, I realised that the person I'm talking to was not the person in my head. So, I was expecting a garrulous, confident, extraverted, sociable man and what I had was a shy, insular, introverted, hyper-focused individual. He was a very different person and he was a person that intrigued me... then it was a case of extracting the stories from the person, because I am so intrigued and invested... I'm not awe struck."

- David O’Sullivan, Author 

O'Sullivan says Erasmus has a unique leadership approach that's all about connecting emotionally with teams (and South Africa), which is why it's so inspiring to others. 

"He can see patterns that other people can't. He is able to devise strategies that other people don't think about initially. Rassie's read two books in his life, 'Lord of the Flies' at school and his own book. He doesn't read; he is very frank and open about it. Rugby players learn differently from him. He is able to make things personal and connect with groups in an emotional way."

- David O’Sullivan, Author 

O'Sullivan says Erasmus opened up to him like a therapist and was 'fully invested' in this book.

"I asked him to talk to me as if I'm his therapist and he said, 'okay'... he was fully invested in this process and bearing his soul... we kept all the sensitive stuff in."

- David O’Sullivan, Author 

Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the full conversation.