Rassie Erasmus lauded his team for their physicality, intensity, and the respect they showed Japan as they registered an emphatic 61-7 victory at Wembley Stadium in London on Saturday, and although the Springbok coach was pleasantly surprised with the result, he said the next few weeks would pose completely different challenges.
The Boks scored eight tries and were awarded a penalty try and limited Japan to only a converted try for their efforts, and while it was a fantastic start to the tour, Erasmus and Bok skipper Siya Kolisi remained grounded after the victory, as they prepare to travel to Paris on Sunday to face France at the Stade de France next Saturday.
“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.
“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.
“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.
“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.”
Following the hype surrounding South Africa’s defeat against Japan in Brighton in the 2015 Rugby World Cup, the Bok coach remained humbled as said: “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 quarterfinal, and we know what a good coach Eddie (Jones) is, so I didn’t expect this score.
“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.”
Erasmus expected a different kettle of fish when they line up against France next week “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.
“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 quarterfinal, 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 was equally pleased for his team and said the versatility within the group and the support they enjoyed really carried them through at Wembley Stadium.
“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,” said Kolisi, who opened the scoring with his 14th test try.
Of the passionate support for the men in green and gold at the match, Kolisi said: “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.”
