The small world rankings 'but' as South Africa sign off in style

South Africa head coach Rassie Erasmus made a slight concession to the significance of the world rankings after his side’s lopsided win over Wales on Saturday evening in Cardiff.

The Boks closed out their year with a 73-0 win over Steve Tandy’s side, completing a second successive clean sweep on their end-of-year tour and finishing 2025 with 13 wins from 15 Tests.

The late scandal around Eben Etzebeth red card aside, it was a straightforward, methodical performance from the Boks, who stuck to the task at hand with ruthless efficiency.

Erasmus kept his assessment measured but acknowledged the quality of the display.

“I’m very proud of the way we played,” he said. “I think Asenathi (Ntlabakanye) made the last turnover, and we are so glad guys like him, Zac (Porthen), and many others who haven’t played for us in a while. Their hunger showed today, and it was important for us to fight until the end.”

It was a controlled outing, with South Africa dictating the rhythm and avoiding the drops in intensity that can creep into mismatches. Erasmus noted the collective commitment.

“We delivered a controlled performance today and we don’t have guys who just roll over.”

“They take the shots, and tonight I thought it was one of the more clinical performances. We put our soul into the game, as opposed to trying to focus on their soul, because the Welsh are a very controlled team. That said, we know it can change in one game.”

Beyond the scoreline, the broader talking point was their position atop the world rankings. Erasmus acknowledged the significance of ending the year at number one, but only to a point.

“We never look at the world rankings, but this year finishing at the top of the rankings was important for us.”

He made no attempt to pretend it offers the Boks, as No.1s, any real competitive advantage.

“We are not sure if it will be beneficial when the Rugby World Cup draw is made, and even though we will play good teams throughout next year [in the Nations Championship and Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry], we’ll still try to get more caps into the players.”