Rassie Erasmus addresses Siya Kolisi substitution and why he takes ‘very little credit’ for Springboks win
Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus speaks after their victory over France.
Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus has revealed why he replaced captain Siya Kolisi during the half-time interval as his team claimed a 32-17 win over France in Paris.
Despite playing the entire second period with 14 players, the World Cup holders came out on top against Les Bleus and were much the better team at the Stade de France.
Straight red card
This was after Lood de Jager was shown a red card for making contact with the head of France full-back Thomas Ramos, with Angus Gardner giving him his marching orders.
Tries from Cobus Reinach, Andre Esterhuizen, Grant Williams and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu saw the Boks to a famous win, leaving head coach Erasmus thrilled afterwards.
“It was probably close to midnight at home (when the final whistle sounded), so thank you to the people who stayed up and watched the game – we play for them and for South Africa,” he said before explaining why Kolisi was substituted prematurely on the occasion of his 100th cap.
“I also want to say thank you to our captain, who was taken off because Andre (Esterhuizen) can play loose forward and centre, which was a tough call. But when I told him, he just took it on the chin and understood.
“Boan (Venter) also came off early in the match because he has to get used to the intensity of these matches, although I thought he went really well.
“I think the guys who started probably softened up the opposition, and then the bench could go and finish it. Even when Manie (Libbok) came on and Sacha (Feinberg-Mngomezulu) went to full-back, I thought everybody had a good impact.
“That comes from the players understanding that it’s a 23-man effort, and the coaches made good plans, which made it easier for the players who came on from the bench.”
Indeed, Erasmus was full of praise for his coaching team and how they and the players on the field adapted to De Jager’s sending off.
“I can take very little credit for what was said at half-time because all the coaches of the different departments did most of the talking and made plans,” he explained.
“A lot of people said the players are getting older, but they are wiser.
“We desperately wanted to win this game. Playing here (in France) is tough, but fortunately, we experienced it in 2022 and 2023, so the experience of the players, and both the team and the assistant coaches made plans.”
Next up for the Boks is a trip to Italy to face the Azzurri on Saturday, November 15 before taking on Ireland (Saturday, November 22) and Wales (Saturday, November 29).
