“We Have To Play Much Better”: Erasmus Issues Clear Warning After Demolition Of Italy
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus described the team’s convincing victory over Italy at the Allianz Stadium in Turin on Saturday as “satisfying”, but was quick to stress the importance of further improvement with two massive Tests against France and Ireland on the horizon.
The Springboks got their Nations Championship Northern Series campaign off to a flying start, scoring six tries to establish a commanding 45-0 half-time lead. They added three more tries in the second half while conceding just one, securing an emphatic 66-7 victory.
Unfortunately, Erasmus was forced into a late change shortly before kick-off after Salmaan Moerat withdrew from the match-23 with a niggle picked up during the warm-up. Lood de Jager was promoted to the starting line-up, while Franco Mostert took his place on the bench. However, the late reshuffle did little to disrupt the Springboks’ rhythm in the first half.
“Salmaan had a little bit of a back spasm on Thursday, but we thought it would clear up,” said Erasmus.
“He looked good at the captain’s practice, but unfortunately, in the warm-up, he got more back spasms, so hopefully it’s not too serious. He’s the only casualty we have from the game. I don’t think there are any other serious injuries.”
Reflecting on his team’s performance, Erasmus said:
“It’s almost impossible to put 80 minutes together at 100%. Obviously, we’re not happy with the second half. We scored 45 points in the first half, and the final score was 66, so we got another 21 points in the second half.
“Italy are a proud team, and despite being 45 points down, they started running the ball from everywhere. We also made some changes that we wanted to see, and with that, you lose a bit of rhythm. But when you win 66-7, I don’t think you can start nitpicking problems in the second half. It wasn’t perfect, but it was proper.
“That said, we have to play much better than this if we want to be competitive against France and Ireland. But it’s nice to know that after being a month away from one another, the boys got together and played like that.”
Erasmus was also pleased with the Springboks’ discipline, although he acknowledged there was room for improvement after the break.
“I think we only conceded one penalty in the first half, and about five penalties and five turnovers in the game, which is pretty disciplined, even though the second half was a little soft.”
Asked about the main factors behind the team’s ability to consistently build on its performances, Erasmus highlighted the continuity within the squad and the successful integration of new players.
“The biggest thing is that we’ve been together for eight years now, and we’re slowly bringing in guys like Ethan (Hooker), ‘Krappie’ (Morne van den Berg), Sacha (Feinberg-Mngomezulu), Ruan (Nortje), Cameron (Hanekom), Jan-Hendrik (Wessels), and Thomas (du Toit) is now back with us too.
“So we’ve been able to bring people in here and there, and when you go to a game like this and pick a team that’s match fit and ready, and everybody is calm and understands the system because we’ve been coaching them for a while, it’s satisfying.”
The Springboks will depart for Paris later on Saturday evening, where they will turn their attention to next Friday’s blockbuster Test against France at the Stade de France.
