Rassie Erasmus opens up on 'last chance' for Springboks versus Pumas

South Africa head coach Rassie Erasmus said his team were aware that it was potentially their “last chance” to win the Rugby Championship, with the tournament facing an uncertain future.

The Rugby Championship came to a close on Saturday at Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium with the Springboks securing back-to-back titles after beating Argentina 29-27. The tournament will now take an indefinite hiatus, with a series between South Africa and the All Blacks, dubbed ‘The Greatest Rivalry’, planned for next year.

With 2027 being a World Cup year, there is no certainty as to when and in what form the Championship will return. Erasmus revealed after the victory that knowing it could be their last opportunity served as motivation in what was a “nervy week” for his team.

The Boks had the extra motivation leading into the match knowing they had the opportunity to become the first South Africa team to win back-to-back titles.

Rugby Championship

P

W

L

D

PF

PA

PD

BP T

BP-7

BP

Total

1

South Africa

6

4

2

0

19

2

New Zealand

6

4

2

0

19

3

Australia

6

2

4

0

11

4

Argentina

6

2

4

0

10

“We certainly spoke about it a lot this week,” he said when reflecting on the competition’s future.

“We’re not sure when we’ll play in the Rugby Championship again. I played in the original Tri-Nations and won it once as a player, and we knew today that maybe this was the only and last chance — maybe this is the last Rugby Championship, I’m not 100 per cent sure how it will work in the future.

“It meant a hell of a lot. These guys — I mean, we as coaches, none of us as players achieved what they have achieved as players. Maybe as coaches we’ve done okay. Next year, with ‘The Greatest Rivalry’, I’m not sure what happens in 2027 in a World Cup year, and what happens in 2028. So this was another opportunity for them to achieve something not a lot of people have. New Zealand have done it many times — they’re a great team — but we’ve never done it.

“It was a nervy week with only two training sessions, flying over here, some injuries, so that definitely was a motivational thing for us.”