Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus admitted he was relieved to come away with both the victory and valuable lessons after South Africa’s much-changed side edged Scotland 42-28 in their Nations Championship clash at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
The Springboks claimed a six-tries-to-four victory after making 10 changes to the starting XV that defeated England 45-21 a week earlier. The result keeps South Africa at the top of the Southern Hemisphere conference on points difference ahead of New Zealand, with both sides sitting on 10 log points.
Despite securing the win, Erasmus acknowledged that the match exposed areas his inexperienced squad still needs to improve.
It’s much nicer when you win and you learn than when you lose and you learn, Erasmus said post match.
The Springbok coach explained that the decision to rotate the squad was part of a long-term plan to assess players in high-pressure Test matches against top opposition.
We had 12 guys who each had less than 10 caps half the team so we knew cohesion was going to be a problem,he said.
We learned a lot about some players not that they are not good enough but that there’s a lot of work to be done.
South Africa raced into an early 14-0 lead with two quick tries before Scotland fought back to level the scores at halftime. The Boks looked to have taken control after scoring three tries in eight minutes early in the second half to establish a 35-14 advantage, but Scotland responded with two more tries to ensure a tense finish.
Erasmus admitted the defensive lapses highlighted the lack of cohesion within the reshuffled team, particularly after several substitutions.
This is the test that some of the guys needed not against a tier-two nation, but against a tier-one nation that’s a really class team, he said.
The Springbok coach also defended his selection gamble, saying South African supporters understood the bigger picture despite moments of frustration during the contest.
I think South Africa understands what we tried to do in this game, Erasmus said.
The crowd believing in the team and the team believing in South Africa is important because there are a few players who haven’t done it at this level.
He added that exposing younger players to pressure-filled Test rugby is essential if South Africa wants to build squad depth for future campaigns.
Sometimes we must put our personal goals to one side of how many games you’ve won in a row or even putting winning this championship on the line so that you can know who can do what, Erasmus explained.
If you don’t make those calls, you would never know. That’s how you find out.
Erasmus also revealed that Scotland’s recent form convinced the Springboks they were facing one of their toughest challenges of the July window.
The way they smashed Argentina, the way they beat England, the way they beat France and were playing just four months ago in the Six Nations, we knew it was going to be a really tough game,he said.
The Springboks will conclude the July leg of the Nations Championship when they host Wales at Hollywoodbets Kings Park next Saturday, looking to maintain their unbeaten start to the competition.
Images: Springboks (Twitter)