“No Injuries For Once!”: Rassie Smiles As Rugby’s Greatest Rivals Loom Against All Blacks

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus was satisfied with South Africa’s 43-0 victory over Wales at Hollywoodbets Kings Park on Saturday, despite admitting his side left several points on the field in difficult playing conditions.

Although the scoreline reflected a convincing seven-try victory in the Nations Championship, Erasmus said the slippery surface made it difficult for the Springboks to produce the expansive style of rugby they had hoped for against a resilient Welsh defence.

“This field was really, really slippery,” Erasmus said.

“Even in the warm-up, you could feel it was greasy. So it’s tough to play an expansive, attractive game in conditions like that and against a team that really wanted to defend.”

Despite the challenging conditions, Erasmus was pleased that his side managed to score 43 points while keeping Wales scoreless.

“You could see they were up for the defensive challenge, so to score 43 points and keep them to nil, we’re satisfied with that,” he said with a smile.

The Springbok coach also highlighted the importance of giving less-experienced players valuable Test exposure, with four debutants featuring alongside several players who have had limited opportunities at international level.

“The four debutants were playing their first Test matches. Guys like Cobus Wiese and Paul de Villiers are also not regulars for us. The only players who have played a lot of Test rugby are Cobus Reinach, Jesse Kriel, Kurt-Lee Arendse and Damian de Allende.”

Erasmus felt there were noticeable improvements from the previous week’s performance, particularly on defence, while also welcoming a rare clean bill of health after the match.

“A 43-0 win is definitely better than last week. I thought we defended better, although it’s easier to defend on a wet field like this. There are also no injuries. That’s the first time after a game that we can say there are no injuries, so that’s a positive,” said a relieved Erasmus.

Asked to assess the performances of the debutants, Erasmus praised the impact they made across several aspects of the game.

He singled out Cobus Wiese for his powerful ball-carrying and Ruben van Heerden for his excellent work in the line-outs.

“They definitely carried well, and the line-outs were outstanding. I thought Ruben van Heerden, playing his first Test against a Tier One nation, made a big contribution by ensuring we didn’t lose a single line-out,” Erasmus said.

The Bok coach was equally encouraged by the improvement in the set pieces, particularly after identifying the scrum and maul as key focus areas heading into the encounter.

“Carlu Sadie did well in the scrums alongside Wilco Louw, Andre-Hugo Venter, Malcolm Marx and the rest of the forwards. We weren’t really at our best in the scrums before this match, but I thought we were much better.”

“I also thought our maul defence and attacking mauls were very good. Those were areas we wanted to improve, and we’re pleased that we managed to do that.”

While Erasmus acknowledged there is still room for improvement, he left Durban encouraged by his team’s defensive display, the performances of the newcomers and the progress made in the forward exchanges as the Springboks continue building momentum in the Nations Championship.