Former All Blacks wing John Kirwan has paid a striking tribute to Rassie Erasmus.

Speaking on The Rivals podcast with Springbok legend Victor Matfield, Kirwan admitted he initially thought Erasmus had panicked when he overhauled the Springbok backline before the Rugby Championship match against New Zealand in Wellington.

But the Boks produced a 43-10 demolition to hand the All Blacks their heaviest defeat.

“The amazing thing about Rassie, under that pressure, he doesn’t fold, he just does what he wants,” Kirwan said. “He changes the team and does a whole lot of different stuff, and wins.”

He went further in his praise of the Bok boss.

“Rassie’s not a South African coach, he’s a South African god. He’s a god over there.”

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For Kirwan, the contrast between Erasmus and All Blacks coach Scott Robertson lies in their approaches to depth and selection.

While Erasmus has been bold in blooding players with an eye on the 2027 World Cup, Robertson has leaned on continuity, persisting with underperforming stars.

“I don’t think we have the depth that we had before,” Kirwan explained. “When you talk about fullback or first-five [flyhalf], someone just doesn’t come straight into my mind. I think we’ve got some depth issues.”

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Kirwan highlighted the impact of players heading overseas, noting that losing figures like Richie Mo’unga has left New Zealand exposed, in contrast to South Africa’s ability to call on multiple options in key positions.

“They have incredible depth, I don’t think New Zealand has that type of depth anymore,” he said.

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