Saracens technical director Brendan Venter has set out a warning to SARU that they would be mad not to keep Rassie Erasmus involved with the Springboks in the future.

Erasmus recently stepped down from his post with Western Province as  Senior Professional Coach and will begin shopping for a new job.

"I personally think that it's essential that Rassie must get involved with the national team in some way or form, Venter told EWN Sport. "Rassie is very bright, he's committed and puts good systems in place.

"He's already worked with the guys in this World Cup - they were very good and they didn't lose the World Cup because they weren't good, we just had the weirdest, unluckiest day in history."

Venter also stressed that if he isn't snapped up he could easily be lost to South African rugby, and even worse team up with another South African, Nick Mallett, and take over the England job after the Six Nations.

"The alternative [to getting him involved with the Boks] is that he's going to coach England with Nick Mallett and I just don't think we can allow that," Venter said.

Where Erasmus would be most effective in the Boks setup is debatable, but his technical skills and coaching strategies are too valuable to throw away.

Reports suggest that the leading contenders for the vacant Springbok job are Gert Smal, who has served as forwards coach for the Boks and Ireland, Stormers boss Allister Coetzee and Bulls mentor Heyneke Meyer, while outgoing coach Peter de Villiers could re-apply for a second term.

"There has been a massive improvement in the Springbok team and I don't even think it's even an issue, SA Rugby must just sit down and make sure that Rassie Erasmus stays involved in the system," Venter stated.