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Rassie Erasmus pinpoints what made the difference in tight Bok win

By Josh Raisey at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham
RG Snyman of South Africa congratulates team mate Siya Kolisi after their team's victory in the Autumn Nations Series 2024 match between England and South Africa at the Allianz Stadium on November 16, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)

South Africa head coach Rassie Erasmus believes his side’s experience is what made the difference as South Africa were able to hold on to a 20-29 win over England at Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium.

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In a match where the lead changed hands on a number of occasions, the world champions came out on the right side of the scoreline as they so often do. But Erasmus’ outfit found themselves under a lot of pressure in the final quarter of the match with prop Gerhard Steenekamp in the sin bin.

Despite waves of English attack in South Africa’s half, The Rugby Championship winners were able to repel Steve Borthwick’s side with various players coming to the fore with big tackles and turnovers to keep England scoreless in the final quarter.

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In a match he described as “competitive as hell,” Erasmus feels that it was the fact that this Springboks outfit have found themselves in similar positions in the past which helped them get over the line in the end.

This experience is what allowed the players to keep “calm heads” in the closing stages to maintain their status as the number one side in the world.

Match Summary

2
Penalty Goals
1
2
Tries
4
2
Conversions
3
0
Drop Goals
0
109
Carries
88
5
Line Breaks
7
12
Turnovers Lost
8
4
Turnovers Won
5

“I definitely think it’s experience,” Erasmus said when analysing how the Boks were able to close out the match. “I think the team that we put out there has played together a lot in important games and most of them played in the last match against Argentina for The Rugby Championship.

“Getting cards is not something that we’re proud of, but hanging in there while we’ve got a card, that definitely takes some character and planning from the other coaches and the guys running the specific areas- defence, lineout, Vincent [Koch] going to loosehead, without him going to loosehead we would have gone to uncontested scrums which would have meant we would go to 13 men. So then we would have struggled to keep them out as they were really playing well.

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“I do think calm heads, which weren’t always in the coaches’ box, but the players on the field were pretty much cool, calm and handled it with experience.”

Despite the result, Erasmus was not overly pleased with the reigning World Cup winners’ display, but knows a nine-point victory at the Allianz Stadium is not to be sniffed at.

“Last week we had a good winning margin, this game, again, does the score really reflect how close the game was?” he said.

“It was a one-try game, penalty kicks here and there.

“Overall, when you play at Twickenham and say you’re not happy with the performance and beat them by nine points, we’re arrogant. It wasn’t fantastic. But we’re content.”

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Related

Watch the highly acclaimed five-part documentary Chasing the Sun 2, chronicling the journey of the Springboks as they strive to successfully defend the Rugby World Cup, free on RugbyPass TV (*unavailable in Africa)

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Comments

44 Comments
M
MM 6 days ago

Click she jumps ....like a rag doll

N
NE 7 days ago

Good girl. Higher now.

S
SteveD 7 days ago

Fish, barrel.

N
NE 7 days ago

Harder, higher. It's too easy owning you.

S
SteveD 8 days ago

Oh dear, been kipping under your rock again? Never mind, maybe you can rather spend some more time in the barrel with your false teeth out.

N
NE 8 days ago

Puerile.

N
NE 8 days ago

Even more lame. Harder. Higher.

A
Ace 12 days ago

Dang, naaitril, has your vocab been reduced even further!?

S
SteveD 12 days ago

🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟 ⚱️⚱️⚱️⚱️⚱️

🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟 ⚱️⚱️⚱️⚱️⚱️

🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟 ⚱️⚱️⚱️⚱️⚱️

🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟 ⚱️⚱️⚱️⚱️⚱️

🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟 ⚱️⚱️⚱️⚱️⚱️

🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟 ⚱️⚱️⚱️⚱️⚱️

🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟 ⚱️⚱️⚱️⚱️⚱️

🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟 ⚱️⚱️⚱️⚱️⚱️

M
MM 12 days ago

Nigella you big trannie jump higher wnak harder - Boks the greatest you wit kant

N
NE 13 days ago

Childish.

N
NE 13 days ago

Lame.

S
SteveD 14 days ago

Oh, you still around? Been let out of the nuthouse after a week's treatment? You really need to wake up maat. Anyway, there's even more fish waiting to be shot in the barrels:


🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟 ⚱️⚱️⚱️⚱️⚱️

🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟 ⚱️⚱️⚱️⚱️⚱️

🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟 ⚱️⚱️⚱️⚱️⚱️

🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟 ⚱️⚱️⚱️⚱️⚱️

Z
ZamaZama 14 days ago

Practicing your cheers for Saturday afternoon on the backseat of mommy's taxi?

N
NE 14 days ago

Higher, harder.

M
MM 14 days ago

Niaahol, why aren't you whining about the world player in if the year awards, try harder jump high wnaker

S
SteveD 21 days ago

🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟 ⚱️⚱️⚱️⚱️⚱️

🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟 ⚱️⚱️⚱️⚱️⚱️

N
NE 22 days ago

Hoppity hop. Good girl.

S
SteveD 22 days ago

🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟 ⚱️⚱️⚱️⚱️⚱️

N
NE 22 days ago

Owned and schooled you ages ago, with ease I must add. Back to your childish emojis I see. Oh dear, little girl, that's just so sad.

S
SteveD 22 days ago

Give up, moffie, and go off to Cecil. You're never going to get the better of me, and, while I realise you're as thick as ten short planks, even you should be able to work it out. Remember "fish", "barrel"? 🐟🐟🐟

N
NE 22 days ago

Lame, little girl. Try harder.

R
RedWarrior 24 days ago

Tight match a few points:

-England are badly missing Felix Jones. This one was very winnable. Tactics were clueless at the end

-Andrew Brace chickened out of a yellow for SA at the end. SA brought down a driving Maul approaching the SA line. That is a yellow. No ifs no buts. He said to SA "Dont think I wont give you a yellow just because youve a man already in the bin". But that's EXACTLY what you were doing Bracey. England 9point deficit versus 13 and a penalty deep in the SA 22 is a likely winning position. Brace didn't give a yellow because SA already had a man in the bin.

-England are not bad but they need an expert with the analytical capabilities of a Felix Jones.

G
GrahamVF 23 days ago

And Itoje got away with a neck roll?

R
RW 24 days ago

Block Nigel like I have, makes for a more pleasant experience.

N
NE 24 days ago

Brace was, as expected, SA's Man of the Match (by some considerable distance if international reports and articles are considered).

B
Ben 24 days ago

Funny but sad how this poor soul runs out of people to stalk and harass as they all block him, and then changes his name so they'll talk to him again.

T
Td 24 days ago

That time of the month for you. NE? .. it must be a dark place living in your skin🤣🤣🤣... we love your hatred ... makes us so much more determined to rub it in... in your heeaaad in your heeeaad...

M
MM 24 days ago

Niaaaahol is arsehole of the century us usual ..try harder jump higher

G
GrahamVF 24 days ago

It the result of Rassie's charm offensive. Everybody loves the Boks they love the Bomb Squad they love the big ugly strong forwards and most of all they love Rassie.

T
The One 24 days ago

🤣🤣🤣 The broken record keeps spinning!

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