Springboks boss Rassie Erasmus pleased ‘young guns stepped up to the plate’

South Africa's director of rugby Rassie Erasmus reacts prior to the Summer Series international rugby union match between South Africa and Wales at Twickenham Stadium, south-west London, on June 22, 2024. (Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP)

South Africa's director of rugby Rassie Erasmus reacts prior to the Summer Series international rugby union match between South Africa and Wales at Twickenham Stadium, south-west London, on June 22, 2024. (Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP)

Published Jun 22, 2024

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Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus was pleased with the teams performance in the first Test of the year after they beat Wales 41-13 at Twickenham in London on Saturday.

The Springboks, who blooded four new faces in the match-day squad, had some good moments and well as a few ordinary ones, but still managed to cruise to a comfortable win despite going into the break 14-13 in the lead.

“It wasn’t a perfect performance,” said Erasmus. “We made a few errors and there were things that didn’t click, but there were others that did, so it was a good start.

“We have new coaches and had a few players making their debuts, so there were areas of the game that were not as good as we would have liked it to be, but there was certainly no lack of effort and intensity, and we realise it will take time for things together nicely.

“The important thing is that we achieved our goal and the players who made their debuts showed that they are capable at playing at this level.”

Erasmus said the Springboks, who next face Ireland in a much-anticipated two-match Test series and Portugal in a one-off Test in Bloemfontein, left a few tries out on the Twickenham pitch.

While their scrum was very good - although the referee didn’t always get them the reward - the Boks weren’t clinical enough with ball in hand.

It’s understandable, especially as some of the Japanese-based players - including Malcolm Marx who only returned to rugby recently after a lengthy knee injury - looked a bit rusty after their season ended a while ago.

“It was a tough match as it always is against Wales. I thought our scrums went well, but we didn’t dominate the collisions,” Erasmus said.

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“We also conceded a try, but we scored five and we could have scored a more, but those are things we need to work on going forward.”

Erasmus added: “It was a beneficial game for us because some players were not eligible for selection and a guy like Jasper Wiese is still out (on suspension), while some of the Japanese players haven’t played in a while. But the young guys stepped up to the plate and played really well.”

Erasmus said the medical team would assess the bumps and bruises suffered in the match before flying to South Africa on Sunday night, as well as the injuries in the Bulls camp following their United Rugby Championship final against the Glasgow Warriors before finalising their squad for the Incoming Series.

The Springboks will arrive in South Africa on Monday.

IOL Sport