Erasmus on Springboks’ Rugby Championship triumph: A win, but room for improvement

While the Springboks clinched back-to-back Rugby Championship titles for the first time on Saturday afternoon at Twickenham in London, the way they scraped through against Argentina shows there's still plenty of work to be done.

Despite losing two games in the tournament, they held their nerve at Twickenham to beat Argentina 29-27, making history under head coach Rassie Erasmus.

Thanks to their powerful scrum and rolling mauls, the Boks found their attacking rhythm in the second half, scoring three tries to take the game away from the Pumas. A desperately needed try was also rounded off late in the first half to kick-start the Boks’ fightback.

Erasmus stated that while they were pleased with the victory and reaffirming their position in the southern hemisphere, they recognise that hard work lies ahead with their upcoming northern hemisphere Tests later this year. The Twickenham win should provide much-needed momentum for their return in a couple of weeks.

Tests against Japan (1 November), France (8 November), Italy (15 November), Ireland (22 November), and Wales (29 November) still await the top-ranked Boks this season.

“We are pleased with the result and that we could win back-to-back Rugby Championship titles, because we don’t know when it will be played again,” Erasmus said.

“However, this was far from the perfect match. At one stage, we were behind by three points, and then again we led by 16. The one positive is that you want to learn while you're winning, rather than learning through losses. Argentina beat the British and Irish Lions, Australia, and New Zealand — and they came close to beating us.

“So, we’re happy we could pull it off, but there’s still a lot of work ahead. Some of the guys we used maybe haven’t played under this kind of pressure before — especially after New Zealand beat Australia in the earlier Test — and it showed at times. The guys who came on helped to stabilize things.”

Erasmus said they’ll enjoy the victory for now, but the real work begins soon, with five tough Tests awaiting the Boks at the end of the year.

Argentina gave the world champions a stern test, and according to Erasmus, the players looked fatigued at halftime due to Argentina’s high-tempo start.

He added that the Pumas played well and turned it into a loose, fast-paced game, which led to missed tackles and a yellow card for outside centre Canan Moodie. Moodie was fortunate to avoid further sanction after knocking a ball on while attempting an intercept.

“I’m not criticizing the referee, but Canan was lucky with that ball he tapped — it was nearly two yellow cards.

"If I were Felipe (Contepomi, Argentina coach), I might’ve said: is that not a red card?

"One or two of their hits could’ve also been more than just yellows. There were close calls that could’ve changed the outcome.

“We knew Argentina have a massive fighting spirit. They take you to the gutters, and you have to be ready to swim with them.

"Yes, they scored a late try, and when we went for our third, the ball wasn’t kicked out. That could’ve meant we won the tournament by a single point instead of points difference.

“Overall, we’re happy we won, but definitely not satisfied with our performance.”