Rassie Erasmus: All Blacks ‘can feel sad’ after controlling the Test but player-led talk saves Springboks
Rassie Erasmus hailed the character of his players in their come-from-behind victory over the All Blacks.
Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus believes that the All Blacks can feel ‘sad’ after losing 31-27 at Ellis Park on Saturday.
Scott Robertson’s charges led South Africa 17-27 in the final quarter-final of the match before tries from Kwagga Smith and Grant Williams sealed an epic comeback for the world champions.
It was an immense fightback from the Boks with the famed ‘Bomb Squad’ again coming to South Africa’s rescue with the aforementioned pair playing starring roles outside of their scores.
All Blacks can feel sad
For much of the match, the All Blacks dominated possession and put the Springboks under pressure but ultimately, it was their discipline that was their undoing as they conceded 14 in total.
Speaking after the match, Erasmus expressed pride in his players’ character to fight back in the clash against South Africa’s fiercest rivals and revealed that it was the players who led the half-time talk that inspired the win.
“I’m very proud, but New Zealand can feel sad because it was such a great game, they really controlled it for most of the game but we snuck in at the end but that shows character against team like New Zealand,” a happy Erasmus told Supersport.
The match also saw the likes of Aphelele Fassi, Ben-Jason Dixon, Ruan Nortje, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Gerhard Steenekamp, and Elrigh Louw get their first crack at the All Blacks.
“Games like this is where you learn what a guy is made of,” the Boks boss said.
“I think Fassi was fantastic, the way Willie helped him in the week, the way Handre helped Sach – there’s so many examples like that.
“We will lose some matches but as long as we have this character against a team like New Zealand, I’m happy.”
Players inspire second-half
Commenting on what was said at half-time, Erasmus added: “I must be honest, it wasn’t me at half-time, it was all the players.
“The guys were making the plans, it was it was the guys seeing what was happening and saying ‘Listen, we’re under the pump, but we’re just making a lot of mistakes with our exits and they get a penalty and they get a penalty’. So it was really not the coaches at half-time, it was the players.”
READ MORE: Siya Kolisi dedicates Springboks’ win over the All Blacks to ‘South Africans who are still not free’
