Tokyo (AFP)

South Africa must capitalize on its third title of world champion to gain consistency and structure its rugby, that leave some of its best players or hopes for foreigners, and whose franchises decline in Super Rugby.

Rassie Erasmus wishes to finish with "the roller coaster" and the catastrophic years, as 2016 and 2017, before it is called to the rescue of a selection whose previous title in Rugby Championship, before this year, went back to 2009.

"Rassie made us promise that whatever the future, we had to be ready for the next World Cup (in France in 2023) and keep the springbok banner at the top," said scrum half Faf De Klerk.

The future of the Boks will be written without Erasmus, however, as he confirmed this week that he will leave his coaching position at the end of the competition.

But still the rugby director of the federation, he hopes to remain "highly involved, whatever the new coach," to the selection.

The former third international line (36 selections between 1997 and 2001) will mainly focus on continuing its work of structuring South African rugby, which had to "hit bottom" in 2016 and 2017 to "achieve what we had to solve".

"With our pool of players, our supporters, our resources - high schools and universities, sports facilities - if we structure our rugby, there is no reason we can not be a global rugby force." he.

- "We are raising standards" -

Erasmus wants the work ethic and professionalism it has set up in the selection to be swept across the ranks of the six franchises: four in Super Rugby (Stormers in Cape Town, Bulls in Pretoria, Sharks in Durban and Lions in Johannnesburg), the Southern Hemisphere Championship, and two in Pro 14 (Cheetahs at Bloemfontein and Souther Kings in Port Elizabeth), along with Irish, Scottish, Welsh and Italian.

South Africa have not placed any team in the semifinals of the Super Rugby this year for the second time in five years (after 2015) and has not won since 2010 (Bulls).

But Erasmus wants to believe his country on track: "(The requirement) is spreading slowly in the provinces (Currie Cup, the national championship) and the franchises (Super Rugby) .The players are pulling the fluff, the level mediocrity gradually evaporates from our rugby. "

"Slowly, we are raising standards, as Ireland, Scotland and New Zealand have done, maximizing their potential," he adds.

- Leakage abroad -

Wales can be added to this list of countries with a smaller player pool than South Africa.

But, faced with competition, many leave the country, more or less young, to strengthen the ranks of other nations, like the Irishman CJ Stander, the French Bernard Le Roux, Scottish WP Nel or from the Japanese Lappies Labuschagné.

Limiting the flight of a maximum of future talents, if not all of them, is one of the challenges of Erasmus and the leaders, also facing the departure of internationals abroad, whose sirens are more lucrative.

World champions Faf De Klerk (Sale), François Louw (Bath), François Steyn (Montpellier), Franco Mostert (Gloucester) and Willie Le Roux (Wasps) will soon be joined in Europe by Handré Pollard (Montpellier) and Lood De Jager (Sale). Duane Vermeulen, RG Snyman and Jesse Kriel (who left the group on injury during the World Cup) will play in Japan.

This scattering does not favor the cohesion of the Springboks who, when they have several months to work together, walk on the world as in Japan.

© 2019 AFP