Stormers Director of Coaching and Springbok technical advisor Rassie Erasmus will head abroad on Thursday to start negotiations for a new job.
Frikkie Erasmus, the lawyer for his namesake, confirmed to this website on Tuesday that Rassie Erasmus's resignation is effective at the end of January.
The announcement has rocked the Stormers, the 2011 winners of the South African Super Rugby conference.
This news came on the day that the Stormers - one of the pre-season favourites to win the Super Rugby tournament - returned to pre-season training for fitness tests at their High Performance Centre in Bellville, Cape Town.
Frikkie Erasmus told this website that he can't talk about the reasons for the Stormers boss's sudden departure.
"I am involved as his lawyer and that [the reason/s] is confidential," he said, adding: "I can confirm that he has resigned."
He added that Erasmus is looking "mainly abroad" at this stage, but there are interest from within South Africa as well.
However, he flatly denied reports linking Rassie Erasmus to a position as Director of Rugby at the South African Rugby Union.
"SARU has not contacted him yet," he told this website.
Asked which countries abroad are interested in Erasmus's services, the lawyer said France and England.
However, he declined to confirm or deny reports linking Rassie Erasmus to a deal that will see him team up with former Bok mentor Nick Mallet at England's national team.
With no positions available at any major club or country in Europe - other than England - it is only natural that the Erasmus, a technical advisor to the Boks at last year's World Cup in New Zealand, would be linked to a [position at England's headquarters at Twickenham.
However, his lawyer refused to divulge any details.
"It is a very sensitive stage in the negotiations and the guys would not like to be linked this directly," he said, when asked if the negotiations abroad are with clubs or national teams.
Asked when they will have an answer, the legal man said: "I can confirm that we are heading abroad on Thursday and return the end of next week, then there will be a clearer picture of the road ahead."
By Jan de Koning
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