WTC Final 2025: Shukri Conrad holds talks with Rassie Erasmus before South Africa faces Australia at Lord’s

The South African players are now getting ready for the June 11 start of the WTC final against Australia. Rassie Erasmus, a former Rugby World Champion coach, recently welcomed the South African coaching staff at the alignment camp in Cape Town.

Although the South African squad has produced some outstanding players, they have not had the best record in ICC competitions and have seen a number of heartbreaking setbacks. It turns out that Erasmus and South Africa’s head coach, Shukri Conrad, had communicated over a “Braai” (South African barbecue) during the Test series against Pakistan. They appeared to have a lengthy conversation on pressure, leadership, and culture. Conrad added that despite playing different sports, the two are engaging in the same mental game.

“A nice braai is the best way to start a conversation. IOL cited Conrad as stating, “Rassie and I began discussing culture, pressure, and leadership, and before the boerewors (sausage) was finished, we both realised we were playing the same mental game, just on different pitches.”

We were able to improve our minds by spending time with Rassie and his coaches. Conrad Shukri Conrad also discussed his encounter with the rugby player and how he has motivated the coaching staff. Conrad said that the teachings and messages they are receiving from the Rugby World Champion are comparable to those they are learning from the game of cricket.

It was intriguing. Rucks and reverse swing may use different terminology, but the messages are the same: play for the badge, have faith in your process, and perform well under duress. It sharpened our minds to be in that room with Rassie and his instructors. The head coach of Proteas continued, “You see what makes champions tick—and it rubs off on you.”

Erasmus also discussed the difficult circumstances that arise during a Test match, pointing out that the squad and players must maintain mental acuity throughout the five days of play since they will be subjected to scrutiny, second-guessing, and sledging.

Five days make up a Test match. That’s five days of being watched, questioned, sledged, and still having to maintain mental acuity. That’s spiritual endurance, not simply skill. We can learn a lot from their handling of that pressure cooker,” Erasmus said.