IT'S ALL OVER!

For 26 years she was the Bok coach’s support system on the side lines – travelling with him for work, taking care of the kids and celebrating his world cup victories. Now Rassie and Nicolene have divorced

FOR 26 years she was married to Mr Rugby and watched from the sidelines as he became the nation’s darling, moulding a group of men into heroes through his ability to lead, motivate and inspire.

Nicolene Erasmus kept things on track at home, raising their three daughters while her husband flew around the world making history with the Springboks.

Rugby was Rassie Erasmus’ life and he swept the country along with him. He was the guy who wept about how the Boks pulled people together, who could shape talent and recognise character, who united a team and made them the best in the world.

But being the wife of a guy like Rassie wasn’t easy – and Nicolene had finally had enough. She’d endured a lot, including rampant rumours her husband was having an affair, and she finally called time on her marriage.

Rassie wasn’t at the high court in Cape Town on a chilly autumn morning at the end of April when his marriage officially ended. Nicolene appeared alone before Judge Hayley Slingers in the old building in Keerom Street to hear it was all over.

Her husband didn’t need to be there – she was the one who instigated the divorce and he wasn’t contesting it. The judge just needed to sign off on it and that was that.

Less than a week ago Rassie had been writing cheerfully on social media about big things on the horizon for the Springboks and his delight at how Chasing the Sun 2, the moving M-Net documentary that traces the team’s road to glory at the world cup in France last year, had been received.