Rassie Erasmus and the Springboks management team have left South African rugby fans scratching their heads after appearing to honour a mysterious bet by shaving their heads.

The unusual reveal came shortly after the Springboks completed a historic 3-1 victory over the All Blacks in the inaugural Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series.

South Africa sealed the series in emphatic fashion on Saturday, 12 September, beating New Zealand 43-28 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. The victory was particularly significant for Erasmus, as it came in his 100th Test in charge of the Springboks.

But while the players were celebrating another major victory, attention soon turned to the coaching and management staff.

Rassie was the first to reveal his newly shaved head, sharing a photograph of himself alongside scrum coach Daan Human. Both men were completely bald, with Erasmus simply captioning the post, “the prize of a bet”.

That cryptic explanation was enough to send fans into detective mode.

A few hours later, Erasmus returned with another photograph, this time showing the wider Springbok management team, all sporting freshly shaved heads. Media manager Zeena Isaacs was also among those who appeared to have taken part in the mysterious challenge.

“Reëls is reëls,” Erasmus captioned the photograph, which translates to “rules are rules”.

 

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The posts immediately sparked questions about what exactly the management team had agreed to do if a particular outcome was achieved.

While the precise terms of the bet have not been publicly revealed, fans have been left wondering whether the challenge was linked to the Springboks’ performance against New Zealand, the series result or another target set before the tour.

Whatever the terms were, it appears the entire management team was prepared to honour the agreement.

The timing could hardly have been more fitting. The Springboks had just completed a remarkable turnaround after losing the opening Test 33-16 to the All Blacks at Ellis Park. They responded with victories in Cape Town and at FNB Stadium before producing their most convincing performance of the series in Baltimore.

The final victory saw the Boks score six tries to New Zealand’s four, with Kurt-Lee Arendse and Cameron Hanekom among those crossing the line as South Africa pulled away in the second half. The match was played in front of more than 68,000 spectators, setting a record for a rugby match in the United States.

For Rassie, the victory also added another milestone to an already remarkable tenure with the Springboks. The 43-28 result marked his 100th Test at the helm of the national team and gave him another major achievement to celebrate.

 

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