‘Respect and intensity’: Erasmus pleased as Springboks launch tour in style

RASSIE Erasmus was full of praise for his team’s physicality, intensity, and respect for Japan after the Springboks launched their end-of-year tour with a commanding 61-7 victory at Wembley Stadium on Saturday.

South Africa scored eight tries and were awarded a penalty try, while limiting Japan to a single converted score on a rainy London night. It was a performance that pleased Erasmus for its attitude as much as its accuracy.

Erasmus proud of physical edge and respect shown

“We have to give credit to the whole team,” said Erasmus. “Some of the players have not played for us in a while, such as Gerhard (Steenekamp), Franco (Mostert), Johan (Grobbelaar), Andre (Esterhuizen) at No 7, and Zachary (Porthen) made his debut.”

The Springboks hit the ground running, taking control early and maintaining dominance throughout the match. A strong display from flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, who contributed two tries in the first half, particularly caught the coach’s eye.

“And then if one looks at a player like Sacha (Feinberg-Mngomezulu) – who scored two tries in the match – he played for us for the SA ‘A’ team (three years ago), and he worked with the coaches on that tour,” Erasmus said.

“Tonight was a wet game against a Japanese team that we’ve struggled to put away before, and he was physical for a No 10. He kicked well, tackled well, and he’s got the magic feel for the game. So, with him, Manie (Libbok) and Handre (Pollard), we are in a good position with flyhalves.”

Erasmus added that the young flyhalf was growing in confidence but warned that bigger challenges await. “Obviously, you can see Sacha is getting more comfortable in the position, but we face France next week and we also have Ireland lined up later on tour, so we always need to make a step up.”

‘We’ll never forget Brighton’

The Springbok coach reflected briefly on the teams’ shared history, referencing the 2015 Rugby World Cup upset that still lingers in rugby folklore.

“We’ll never forget Brighton, and we’ve only beaten them three times, and we struggled to put them away in the last two games, even in the (2019) RWC quarter-final, and we know what a good coach Eddie (Jones) is, so I didn’t expect this score,” said Erasmus.

“But for me, it was more about how the players entered the match with the respect and physicality they showed up with. Everything was not perfect, but I’m pleased with the intensity the players showed.”

France next — ‘a totally different ball game’

Erasmus knows the mood will shift quickly as the Boks prepare for a testing schedule that includes France, Ireland, Italy, and Wales.

“We know what it’s like to play France away from home. The passion, intensity, and atmosphere in which you play there is very different,” he said. “I think we have sufficient depth, experience and youth in the team, but it’s a totally different ball game going there.”

“It’s a pressure cooker, and it gets to you. We beat them in the (2023) World Cup quarter-final, but we know how close that match was, so it’s a massive game, and then there’s Ireland ahead as well as Italy and Wales.”

“So, although we are building, we need to keep reminding one another about that. We knew what was coming at Eden Park (against New Zealand), and we couldn’t pull it through, so we have to do some intelligent and physical stuff to pull it through next week.”

Kolisi praises versatility and support

Captain Siya Kolisi, who opened the scoring at Wembley, was equally pleased with the performance and the depth within the squad.

“It’s good to have versatile players, so the coaches can pick who they want on the day, and that helps a lot if there is an injury in the game, and it enables us to adjust and not panic,” Kolisi said.

Of the crowd that turned out in difficult weather, he added: “It was special to see the people come out in numbers and enjoy the match and even wait around at the end in the rain. We have four more matches on tour, and we need them, so we encourage them to come to the games, and we’d like to thank them for their support tonight.”