Springboks Triumph: Rassie Reviews New Talent
Following the Springboks’ emphatic 80-31 victory over the Barbarians, head coach Rassie Erasmus expressed satisfaction with the opportunities afforded to several emerging players while admitting there is still work to be done ahead of the inaugural Nations Championship, which gets underway in two weeks.
The world champions crossed for 12 tries in a free-flowing contest but also conceded five of their own, with Erasmus identifying discipline and defensive cohesion as key areas requiring attention before South Africa face England in their next outing.
Reflecting on the performance, Erasmus acknowledged that the squad is still finding its rhythm after an extended period apart.
“Those tries they scored in quick succession were disappointing. A yellow card is never ideal, and we need to improve our discipline,” Erasmus said.
“We need to remind ourselves that it has been six months since we last played together, and it was about integrating players into the mix while not knowing when the Stormers and Bulls players would become available. The cohesion was not 100%.
“We scored 80 points, which is pleasing. But we’d like to eliminate the tries we conceded and be better as a unit when we play England.”
One of the major talking points heading into the clash was the selection of Lions fullback Quan Horn at flyhalf, with Erasmus eager to assess how he would handle the occasion.
While the 24-year-old endured a difficult start defensively, Erasmus was pleased with the way he responded.
“One of Quan’s strengths is his defence, and on the first try they ran over him and we conceded,” said Erasmus.
“The nice thing was that it didn’t affect his focus. During the game, he delivered some wonderful passes that created tries and kicked really well into touch.
“This game was about sorting out a few issues and getting some answers, so overall I think he did really well. We’re happy with Quan.”
Erasmus also singled out several other newcomers who seized their opportunities against the invitational side.
“Vusi (Moyo) is a really calm player, and I think he was very impressive,” he said.
“A guy like Riley, at 20 years old, played a full match against grown men, which is not easy. Paul (de Villiers) did well when he came on. Evan (Roos) was good. I thought Faf (de Klerk) was solid when he got back into the mix.”
The Springbok coach was equally encouraged by the performances produced by South Africa ‘A’ in their victory over Zimbabwe, with several players strengthening their claims for future selection.
“On the SA ‘A’ side, obviously Stokka ran the show there, but I thought they did really well,” Erasmus said.
“It’s difficult to gauge exactly how strong Zimbabwe are.”
With selection decisions looming and the Nations Championship fast approaching, Erasmus believes the outing achieved exactly what it was intended to.
“Overall, I think the boxes were ticked, and you can’t complain about the attack when you score 80 points. The thing to focus on is the defence, and that’s what we’ll have to sort out.”
