“The decision is a necessary and important one for WP Rugby as a whole. The process followed was thorough and the candidates assessed were of the highest quality. We are confident that the correct decision has been made to ensure that WP Rugby attains its future goals,” said Tobie Titus, President WPRFU.

Commenting on the appointment Pat Kuhn, Chairman of WP Rugby (Pty) Ltd said “We are happy to welcome Rassie back to Newlands this time in the capacity as Senior Professional Coach. An accomplished player at the highest level and a successful coach, Rassie comes with a wealth of practical and technical rugby knowledge and the innovative flair, passion and skills set that we believe will ensure the future success of WP Rugby at all levels.”

“I am very excited to be back at Newlands and am looking forward to this challenge” said Erasmus. “Coaching the Vodacom Stormers is a fantastic opportunity. There is an enormous amount of talent in the region and I am confident that I can with the assistance of others make a real difference to the franchise. It is my mission to help inculcate a winning culture at WP Rugby and to formulate and implement my vision for effective management and coaching at all levels in this great province and I am relishing the opportunity.”

Erasmus will commence duties on 1 August 2007, so as to provide the best possible contracting and athlete preparation window. His contract extends until 31 October 2010.

Dispelling recent market place rumours Kuhn added “The player body is extremely positive about developments. Players do not have escape clauses in their contracts linked to specific individuals and we have certainly not faced a player exodus. WP Rugby remains on a firm financial footing and is convinced that changes made will produce results for all stakeholders, most importantly for our sponsors, partners, customers and fans.”