Van Graan on Bok job: Who knows?

Johann van Graan isn’t ruling out the possibility of returning home one day and throwing his hat in the ring to succeed Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus.

Under Van Graan’s guidance, Bath qualified for the Investec Champions Cup in his first season and last week, secured the top seeding in the Premiership playoffs. On Saturday, the English club face Edinburgh at Hive Stadium in the semi-finals of the EPCR Challenge Cup.

As technical advisor at the Vodacom Bulls, the 45-year-old won three Super Rugby titles before helping the Boks secure a 2015 Rugby World Cup bronze medal.

He then took over from Erasmus at Munster and led the Red Army to multiple European semi-finals and a Pro14 final during his five-year tenure.

Speaking in a wide-ranging interview with the UK’s The Telegraph, Van Graan noted the Bok job while discussing Bath’s revival since his 2022 appointment as head of rugby.

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“Last season I re-signed for an additional five years, until June 30, 2030,” Van Graan said. “We are on a journey as a family and that remains the most important for me. 

“The very first day, I said to the players and staff: my family is the most important. And we have a saying at Bath: ‘Family first always’. As long as my family is happy, then long may it continue.

“[But] who knows where the road goes in terms of rugby? Obviously, I’m South African, I’m a Springbok and that’s not something that you ever ask for. It’s something that happens to you; because a lot of people believe you can do it. 

“Rassie Erasmus is currently doing an amazing job – South Africa will be going for their third World Cup in a row. Who knows? 

“Maybe it’s 10 more years at Bath. Maybe we will go back to South Africa one day. I’d like to coach all over the world but I have learnt in my life that a week is a long time so I’ll enjoy today, enjoy this season, the coming seasons, and whatever happens, happens.”

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