Rassie Erasmus hints at how he will stop the Bok rot in second Test

The Springboks came into the first Test against the Wallabies with a plan for both matches, but head coach Rassie Erasmus is prepared to pull the pin on that in the wake of the 38-22 defeat.

The Wallabies overcame a 22-0 deficit to beat the Springboks at Ellis Park, a loss that left the coach “embarrassed” in the post-match press conference.

After originally planning to blood some more rookies next week, Erasmus hinted that plan will be scrapped as they look for a better performance in order to bolster their chances in the Rugby Championship.

Rassie Erasmus uses the ‘s’ word

Rassie Erasmus uses the ‘s’ word

“We actually already picked next week’s team,” Erasmus revealed in his post-match interviw.

“We’ve always said if we lose momentum and not play well, and we did both. We lost momentum and we played badly.

“The players actually know who is playing in the team next week but we had a chat now in the changing room and that team will change a little bit because we want to get the Ethan Hooker’s in, we want Ntlabakanye to get a start, but now we’ll have to rethink it.”

Of most concern to the head coach was seeing the manner of defeat without fight at the end as the Wallabies continued to run in tries for a historic win.

“We didn’t have fight right to the end, that’s not what we want to give South Africa,” he said.

“There was a stage where I felt that our heads were dropping, and our shoulders were slumping and that was part of the disappointment.

“Everybody’s very disappointed. That won’t change anything in how you guys see the game and how the supporters will feel.”

Erasmus said that he expects Damian de Allende and Cheslin Kolbe to be available after both were ruled out with injury before the Johannesburg Test, while the team might find new playmakers with players down on confidence.

“You know Damian [de Allende] and Cheslin [Kolbe] would have been picked but they were injured, and only will be ready next week,” he said.

“I think Fassi and Damian are struggling a bit with confidence, just making the right decisions, but that’s not to say they’re bad rugby players. They must just find their feet.

“It is very concerning, up by 22 points. You might lose a Test match, but not by 20 points. It’s something we have to fix.”