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Rassie Erasmus pinpoints 'pivotal' moment during triumph over All Blacks
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Victorious Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus believes there was a clear turning point in Baltimore, where his side got the edge over the All Blacks.
M&T Bank Stadium was packed to the rafters for the fourth Test of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry, where the world number one Springboks powered past the All Blacks, 43-28.
That turning point would be the running game of exciting Springboks winger Kurt-Lee Arendse, who impressed with ball in hand during the second half in Baltimore.
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Arendse made several breaks for the Springboks, often forcing the All Blacks defenders to make tackles facing their own dead-ball line.
In Erasmus’ post-match press conference, he explained where the turning point was.
“Yeah, I think Kurt Lee [changed the game]. I think when Kurt Lee started burning guys, because Kurt Lee himself admitted he was going through a bit of a mental dip and a physical dip, and had concussions and stuff.
“I thought when he scored that try, I thought it was pivotal.
“I thought the game was totally anybody’s game. Sometimes a guy like Cheslin Kolbe could change it, and today the team did it. But I thought Kurt Lee especially.”
When asked about the evolution of the Springboks squad under Erasmus and the role coaching stability has played in helping the side, inspirational Springboks captain Siya Kolisi detailed where it all started.
“Coach [Erasmus] came, and he had a plan on how to change things going forward. I think our mentality at the time wasn’t in a good place, and he reminded us how important this team is, how powerful this team is and what we have done in the past,” the captain said.
“But the individuals make the team work. He made a group of South Africans from different parts of life, all focused on one. We all came in with our different goals. We all wanted to achieve different things, and we speak 11 languages in our team. Our main focus was to make the Springboks proud and make the people of South Africa proud.
“And he [Erasmus] was honest and upfront with his coaching staff about what the way going forward was and how we’re gonna do it, and he backed us, believed in us, fought for us, and that’s what made us want to play for him.
“We’re trying to improve and get better, and we’re working on our own internal standards in the group, so we can keep on improving because we can’t be satisfied and stay the same. Because then everybody is going to catch up to us.”
Taking a game to the United States has been a hot topic among fans and pundits, but Kolisi hopes it will happen more often.
“Just the environment, what they saw today, and the passion of the people of South Africa, the New Zealand supporters that were here, and also just the manner that we played in, and also the values and the respect that we have one another as a team,” Kolisi said in his post-match press conference.
“And also I think it’s a game that Americans would actually enjoy. They love physical sports. So I really think the more teams get to come and play here, the more people are invested in the rugby teams.
The Springboks leader also added that before the Rugby World Cup in 2031, hopefully the women’s game would have grown in the United States,
“I think it will be better. Hopefully, it grows, and also the more the women’s game grows as well. It will help the rest of us to grow. So hopefully we grow the women’s game more, and then also the men’s game more here in America.”
