Spain Coach Luis Enrique and Rassie Erasmus' Coaching Techniques are Comparable

Spain Coach Luis Enrique and Rassie Erasmus' Coaching Techniques are Comparable

Keba Mothoagae
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:18 PM
In this article:
FIFA World Cup logo
FIFA World Cup
International
  • Spain coach Luis Enrique and South African Rugby Union director of rugby Rassie Erasmus are the last people one would expect to compare
  • Besides the sports they are renowned for, one boasts a World Cup title win while the other is chasing one
  • However, their innovative natures has seen similarities in how their teams play the Beautiful Game and the Gentleman's Game

What do Luis Enrique and Rassie Erasmus have in common?

On the surface, absolutely nothing. One is trying to guide Spain to a second football World Cup title, while the other took South Africa to a third rugby World Cup win.

rassie erasmus, luis enrique, south africa, spain, springboks
Rassie Erasmus and Luis Enrique have something in common. Image source: Getty Images.
Source: Getty Images

However, a Sport24 article has gone in-depth to point out how the La Furia Roja mentor and current director of rugby at the South African Rugby Union have a lot in common, particularly with their innovation and vision.

During his Free State Cheetahs days, Erasmus would "use traffic lights to indicate what moves or plays his team should initiate while he perched like an owl atop the stadium on game day".

Exciting feature: Check out news exactly for YOU ➡️ find "Recommended for you" block and enjoy!

It added:

"When Spain train, both at home in Las Rozas on the outskirts of Madrid and at the University of Qatar in Doha, Luis Enrique sometimes stands on a scaffold tower, which he asked to be constructed."
"The coach is set on positional play and retaining possession, and has been innovative in his use of technology and outside-the-box thinking to get his players to operate within his set structure."

The complete dissection of Erasmus' and Enrique's similarities can be found here.

No doubt I am Spain's leader, says Luis Enrique

Spain coach Luis Enrique insisted Tuesday that he is the team's leader in the absence of any obvious star player, ahead of their first World Cup game against Costa Rica.

World Cup winner and captain Sergio Busquets tends to keep a low profile, while youngsters like Ansu Fati and Pedri could one day become stars in their own right but are still developing.

"The leader of the national team has to be the coach," Luis Enrique told a press conference the day before Spain open their campaign against Los Ticos.
Authors
Keba Mothoagae photo
Keba Mothoagae
Editor- Local Desk
Tags
South AfricaSouth African Rugby Union (SARU)Springboks