‘I love the way he connects the team with the country’ – rugby league coach opens up on ‘admiration’ for Rassie Erasmus
Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus with an insert of Wigan head coach Matt Peet
Wigan Warriors head coach Matty Peet has revealed his inspiration and respect for South African and Ireland bosses Rassie Erasmus and Andy Farrell.
Peet only took over at the Warriors in 2022, but the 40-year-old has already won two Super League titles and two Challenge Cups,?a record which includes a historic quadruple in 2024, a haul which later saw them named BBC Sports Personality Team of the Year.
The Englishman, who spent a year working as high-performance manager at Sale Sharks back in 2018, has strong admiration for Springboks coach Erasmus, who has won two Rugby World Cups and two Rugby Championships during his eye-catching spell with the Boks.
Wigan Warriors boss opens up on admiration for Rassie Erasmus and Andy Farrell
“Rassie Erasmus is someone I admire,” Peet told Planet Rugby. “I love the way he connects the team with the country. He thinks outside the box, he does things differently.
“I just really admire the way he goes about it…He’s different.”
Erasmus is well-known for his innovative and unique tactics that have confounded opponents and kept his team at the very top of international rugby.
Peet has been impressed with the way Erasmus inspires his players and connects the Springboks emotionally to the wider South African nation.
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“I like the ones where the team stands for something,” he said. “Ireland, they play for Ireland, don’t they. South Africa, they play for South Africa. That’s the ambition with Wigan. The primary aim is to make the community proud of this team.”
Ireland mentor Farrell is another coach who has inspired Peet. Like the Wiganer, Farrell hails from the same town in Greater Manchester and made his name as a tough forward for the Warriors in the 1990s and 2000s, before crossing codes and joining Saracens in 2005.
Farrell was appointed coach of the Irish in 2019 and under him they have claimed back-to-back Six Nations crowns in 2023 and 2024. The 49-year-old was named World Rugby Coach of the Year in 2023 and this year will lead the British and Irish Lions on their tour down under.
“Andy Farrell is exceptional,” Peet said. “I know him, he’s always been very supportive of me. I probably should go out of my way and spend more time with him, but I’m always conscious of his time.
“He’s on a very intense program, especially with the Lions coming up now. “I think we’re all the same here, I’m in touch with [France defence coach] Shaun Edwards as well. He’s very supportive. We swap ideas.”
