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The odd post-match demeanor of Rassie Erasmus and his Springboks

By Daniel Gallan at Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh
Willie Le Roux of South Africa speaks with Siya Kolisi after defeating Scotland during the Autumn Nations Series 2024 match between Scotland and South Africa at the Scottish Gas Murrayfield on November 10, 2024 in Edinburgh, Scotland. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

If you missed it, you might assume that the Springboks monstered their Scottish counterparts with another brutal display of Bomb Squad powered brutality. And to a degree, you’d be right.

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They scored four tries and shut out Scotland on their own patch, restricting their hosts to nothing more than the five penalties they nudged over off Finn Russell’s boot. The South African scrum was an almost unstoppable force, especially late in the piece when it procured four successive penalties and dragged Jasper Wiese over for the fourth try at the death. Their defence was impenetrable, even in the face of some meaty carries from Scotland’s outstanding midfield and Tom Jordan cutting holes from full-back.

And yet Rassie Erasmus and his captain beside him both cut dejected figures in the post-match press conference. The Springboks coach and Eben Etzebeth were almost apologetic despite the chasm on the scoreboard. Erasmus said that there were aspects of his team’s performance that made him “nervous”, and that he was “not very proud” after what on paper looked like a comfortable win.

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Karl Dickson explains how referees are refocusing on 50/50 kick contests

Referee Karl Dickson explains how World Rugby referees are now focusing on players giving access to a 50/50 contest under the high ball.

Double-world champions hold themselves to a higher standard than most, but let’s take Erasmus at his word and unpack what exactly went wrong and where things might improve.

Of course, the number of changes played a role. Eleven personnel switches could fill a cricket team and perhaps this is why a few key areas across the park felt disjointed, erratic and a little aimless at times.

Fixture
Internationals
Scotland
15 - 32
Full-time
South Africa
All Stats and Data

The breakdown in particular needs work. Tony Brown has injected greater fluency in attack when the ball fizzes down the backline. Makazole Mapimpi’s two tries were both procured through audacious and accurate cross-kicks. These were plays that once felt like rare moments in Springboks rugby. Now they’re routine.

But Brown’s ethos, the same one he honed with Japan, has come at a price. Ball carriers are no longer supported by pods of teammates ready to act as cleaners. Now they move in a 1-2-2-2-1 formation which means that just about everyone on the park is expected to add their heft to the deck. We saw this with Lukhanyo Am regularly clearing rucks after Andre Esterhuizen carried into contact, once even stealing an important momentum-shifting penalty. But this can, as it did on more than a few occasions against Scotland, leave ball carriers isolated.

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This is exacerbated by the desire to keep loose forwards prowling in the trams. Siya Kolisi and Pieter-Steph du Toit have occupied wider channels more frequently this year than they have throughout the rest of their careers combined. But without these scrappers supporting off the shoulder in the close exchanges, those who do carry often only have one man by their side to fend off jackals. If the gainline is not stomped over, and there is even a momentary delay from the cleaner, the opportunity for a steal is presented to the opposition.

“We’re trying really hard over the last couple of weeks to get out of the breakdown,” Erasmus explained. “Because we tend to give a lot of roll-away penalties. It’s almost 18 in the Rugby Championship. So we train really hard to get out of the channel very quickly so our 9 has access to the ball and the cleaners have access to the ball.”

Rassie Erasmus Springboks
Rassie Erasmus, Head Coach of South Africa, speaks with Handre Pollard of South Africa during the warm up prior to the Autumn Nations Series 2024 match between Scotland and South Africa at the Scottish Gas Murrayfield on November 10, 2024 in Edinburgh, Scotland. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

This is the space that New Zealand exploited in the Rugby Championship and Scotland occupied it as well. As a result, Jaden Hendrikse had a poor game at the base of the ruck, regularly spilling the ball. It made him look ordinary. And though the scrum-half must shoulder some of the blame, he was not helped by what was taking place in front of him.

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This doesn’t necessarily mean that there is a major problem that is beyond fixing. The selected loose trio of Marco van Staden, Elrigh Louw and Kwagga Smith won’t likely start together again. In Test rugby, hesitation –  even for a fraction of a second – can be decisive.

“The breakdown was really scrappy,” Kwagga Smith admitted afterwards. “It was a big battle. We talked about it at half-time and it went better in the second half. We were isolated because we were late on our reactions towards the breakdown. I think that is something we spoke about, being together, getting together and into shape because that shape helps you create a clean ball. Our reactions were late.

“We were just a bit asleep. A bit too late. We got better into structure and started getting quick ball. We couldn’t get quick ball [in the first half] and that helped the Scottish defence.”

Rassie Erasmus Springboks
Rassie Erasmus – PA

Erasmus was full of praise for his team’s effort. As is expected, the Springboks defended like Trojans when wave after wave of Scottish attack mounted at the gates in the second half. And even though it felt as if Erasmus had fired his shot too early when he emptied the bench on 46 minutes, South Africa’s impressive siege engine finally took a hold of the contest.

Were the Springboks lucky, to a degree? Gregor Townsend after the match wasn’t so direct but he suggested that this was one that got away from Scotland. South Africa were there for the taking largely because they struggled to get a toehold in the dark corners where Test matches are usually won.

“At the end of the day it was a good performance because we beat them by that margin,” Etzebeth pointed out, even though he delivered this line with slouched shoulders and a slightly demure tone. “There are some aspects of the game we are not happy with and will work on. The coaches will point that out and there’ll be some harsh words, but also good words. Sometimes you need that in a professional team environment.”

On to England now who will be smarting after back-to-back defeats but who will also be equipped with a clear strategy on how to beat these Boks.

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

29 Comments
j
jn 29 days ago

Hell it was a freaking piss poor performance by the Boks..

Sorry but I had to say it..

And it was extremely concerning..

No excuses but if they bring another impotent play forward like that against stronger teams they are going to get destroyed and deservedly humiliated..

What the Hell was wrong with your hands Boks???

Knock on after knock on after knock on..Really???

Jaden please go find another sport like the Bowls.

There you would outperform all other as you in particular seem to be a natural in rolling the ball forward..

Really it was laughable..

The Boks were lucky to win that one considering the Scots played with 14 men for over 20minutes due to a questionable red card ??

Absolutely ridiculous..

B
Bull Shark 29 days ago

Well I for one am very glad that Rassie and Eben were less than pleased. It means that the boks are clearly on a mission to win EVERYTHING between now and 2027 so as to shake the bogey of being called a team that doesn't play well between world cups.


The fact that the boks are able to field a so-called B-Team and win and play an A-Team (presumably next week) is why he and his management team lost all those games back then to get to this point.


The experimentation and depth building is now yielding these results. Which is nice.


I think Joe Schmidt is on a similar trajectory with the Wallabies. Mark my words, the Wallabies will be a threat in 2027. He's so far done things the right way.

D
DK 30 days ago

Scotland played it too safe going for 3 at a time. They could have beaten us if they kicked for the corner and pressed us for 7 at a time.

R
Richard 30 days ago

To England, "everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face"!

F
Flankly 30 days ago

It's not complicated. Rassie is no doubt annoyed about penalties and cards. Allowing no tries is excellent. And four tries on your side is also great. But don't spoil it with indiscipline.

S
SL 30 days ago

Reading the comments in this article, I now realise why NZ fans take issue with SA fans' arrogance, not that NZ fans are any better in my opinion.

Had Scotland taken some of their chances, this could have been a lot closer,

I still think SA would have won because they are head and shoulders above any other team at the moment and I love their evolution to a proper rugby team who can attack with pace but continue to have that raw power than other countries dream of.

Etzebeth is a prime example of evolving players. He is probably the best player in the world at the moment and hope he gets recognition for it come awards time.

But, please SA fans, stop your inflated and egotistical comments. It doesn't suit what your country has become over the last 20 years.

N
NigelGhost 29 days ago

What country are you from then?

H
Hellhound 30 days ago

SA fans arrogance? This post by you is arrogant. We Saffas hold our team to a much higher standard than they produced. It's not arrogance. If Scotland took their chances... If the Boks took their chances, the score would have looked a whole lot different. It would be a slaughter. You have blinders on. The Scots played brilliantly and had an extremely good game, the best they had against any top team ever. Yet the Boks was start and stop and many unforced errors. Line outs were very poor. They were incohesive and played like a team coming together for the first time. Yet they still win by a big margin of 17 points. They never stood a chance against the Boks, no matter how much you want to CLAIM they were better. They were outplayed and out muscled. The Boks defence was phenomenal. The statements made by the Bok fans isn't inflated nor egotistical. The truth is that people like you can't handle the Boks dominance even when they play very badly and it bothers you that they still win despite that.

B
Bull Shark 31 days ago

Playing sub par and beating one of the beast scottish teams for a while by 17 points at home should not be scoffed at.


This was good preparation for the next test. A 50 point trouncing would have shown us nothing.

N
Norman Sander 31 days ago

The Boks combinations in this unusual starting side, have a ways to go to perform at their best. Scotland has gone 160 minute's without scoring a try against the Boks says it all though.

S
SD 31 days ago

Boks looked half asleep until Grant Williams came on!! Handling poor lots of errors. I wouldn't want to be playing against them in the next 2 games as they won't be as bad as that again.

B
Bull Shark 31 days ago

Agreed

P
PR 31 days ago

Yeah, I think (rightly or wrongly) the Boks have targeted the England game as the big one on the tour. The Bok B Team has really struggled for cohesion all year. SA will be fully loaded with the likes of Kriel, De Allende, Kolbe, Arendse and Fassi all returning. Plus PSDT, Wiese and Kolisi will start. Expecting a lot more accuracy next week.

D
DP 31 days ago

What blows my mind is that everyone knows Scotland are brilliant at the breakdown and yet cleaners were almost always late and unable to protect the ball. What on earth have the Boks been doing in Jersey??!! It was a sub par performance. Hendrikse was extremely poor today, I counted at least 3 unforced errors under zero pressure. Pollard was Pollard but if Tony ball is the aim then you have to load that breakdown to generate quick ball, PSDT and Siya are pointless in the trams with slow ball. Looking forward to seeing the team selection.

B
Bull Shark 31 days ago

The attacking structure is leaving us with less numbers at the breakdown.


Fixable.

P
PR 31 days ago

Have a feeling Manie and Grant will start against England. There were gaping holes in the England defence against Australia that they can exploit. Also, we really missed Siya and Kwagga (off the bench) when it comes to the breakdown. Not sure what the coaches see in Marco.

P
PR 31 days ago

"..one that got away from Scotland" Four tries to zip and 17 point margin. And it was largely a Bok B team that started the game. Townsend is just trying to cover his own a** by saying they could have won.


As for England having a clear plan how to beat the Boks. It won't be the same starting 15 so they can make all the plans they want. Bok A team will take it up a couple of notches next week.

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