Rassie Erasmus has told his Springboks players there is a “lot of things to put right” after South Africa were comprehensively beaten by New Zealand in the opening Test of their four-match series.
The back-to-back world champions led 16-12 early in the second half at Ellis Park, but the contest quickly swung away from them.
New Zealand scored 21 unanswered points to seal an impressive 33-16 victory, with the Springboks also seeing two players sent to the sin-bin late on.
The defeat brought South Africa’s 12-match winning run — their longest under Erasmus — to a shuddering end and leaves them needing to win the remaining three Tests if they are to claim the series.
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Erasmus responds to All Blacks defeat
Despite the manner of the defeat, Erasmus remained relatively level-headed as attention immediately turned towards the second Test in Cape Town.
“We have been in many catastrophic situations in our lives,” said Erasmus.
“We lost the first Test against the British & Irish Lions [in 2021] and everyone said it was a catastrophe.
“We lost the first pool game against New Zealand in the World Cup [in 2019] and everyone said that was catastrophic, so we have been in a lot of catastrophic situations.
“We’re now in a position where if we want to win the series we have to win three games on the trot. So, without doubt, it puts them in a very good position which they thoroughly deserve.
“Now we have to go to Cape Town and try and win there. If we do, it’s all level, but we still have to win three matches in a row. I wouldn’t say it’s catastrophic because there is a way out, and that’s winning three matches on the trot.”
‘We were thoroughly beaten’
The victory also saw the All Blacks replace South Africa at the top of the world rankings, and Erasmus had no complaints about which team deserved to win.
“We were thoroughly beaten by a team that is now No 1 in the world – it’ll be nice to go into the next game as the underdogs,” he said.
“I think we were dominant in the scrums, but it doesn’t help you if you’re dominant in one or two parts of the game. The All Blacks were more dominant in most parts of the game.
“I’m not going to butter it up with that cliché and say we’re going to learn from this and get better. We didn’t need to learn from this; we knew what we had to do on the day – we didn’t do it.”
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Five Springboks who FLOPPED against the All Blacks – and who should replace them
Here are five Springboks who struggled at Ellis Park – and the changes Erasmus should consider making.
5. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu
There were flashes from Feinberg-Mngomezulu, particularly as the first half progressed and the Springbok pack began to take control.
He challenged the All Blacks defence with some dangerous carries and offloads, but there was simply too much looseness in his game.
On an occasion that demanded South Africa’s chief playmaker take control, Feinberg-Mngomezulu never truly managed it.
His move to full-back during the second half didn’t help matters either. His defence was exposed when Damian McKenzie powered through him during a dangerous New Zealand break shortly before the hour mark.
Try as he might, Feinberg-Mngomezulu simply couldn’t get going.
Replacement: Handre Pollard
This feels like the obvious change.
Pollard was left out of the matchday 23 for the opening Test despite being included in South Africa’s wider squad.
The double Rugby World Cup winner offers exactly what South Africa lacked at Ellis Park: control, experience and an ability to manage the biggest occasions.
Feinberg-Mngomezulu remains an enormous talent, but Erasmus could turn back to his proven number 10 for Test two.
