Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus recently sent a special message to his mother, Maria, who lives in a nursing home and broke her leg. In his tweet, he also mentioned the support of possible friends or relatives.
“Hi Mom. Good luck with the leg break! I hope you get well soon”.
“Luckily, Gerda is close, and Martlie is very knowledgeable about almost everything in life!”.
Last month, during his acceptance speech for receiving an honorary doctorate in Coaching Science from the Council of the North-West University, Rassie openly shared his nervousness, intimidation, and fear. He spoke of how his elderly mother’s comforting words had helped alleviate his apprehension.
He said:
“She is watching it on livestream at the old-age home. The message that she sent me was emotional.”
In a heartwarming gesture, Rassie Erasmus marked his mother Maria’s birthday last September with a touching message. The usually stoic Springboks coach shared a tweet expressing his love for his biggest fan alongside endearing photos, writing, “Lief vir Ma (Love you mom) Happy 83rd [birthday] .” Throughout his career, Erasmus has openly acknowledged his mother’s significant influence, detailing her unwavering support from his early days with the Free State Cheetahs in his autobiography.
Rassie, whose actual name is Johan, hails from the small town of Dispatch in the Eastern Cape. Before pursuing a career in sports, he served in the military, an experience through which he crossed paths with his future coach, Jacques Nienaber. Reports from the Independent shed light on Rassie’s challenging upbringing, highlighting the impact of his father’s battle with alcoholism, which later enabled him to relate to players who had gone through similar struggles.
