Rassie Erasmus reveals gamble he took to beat All Blacks in Greatest Rivalry Series
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Gamble.
Rassie Erasmus has revealed how the Springboks deliberately sacrificed opportunities to rotate their squad in order to give themselves the best possible chance of beating the All Blacks in the Greatest Rivalry Series.
South Africa recovered from defeat in the opening Test to win the series 3-1, with Erasmus largely resisting the temptation to make wholesale changes as the four-Test battle developed.
That approach has now been flipped completely ahead of Sunday’s meeting with Australia in Perth.
Erasmus has made 13 changes to the starting XV that defeated New Zealand in Baltimore, with André Esterhuizen named captain of a significantly reshuffled side.
Explaining the dramatic rotation, Erasmus revealed that several of Sunday’s starters have played relatively little rugby in recent weeks because of the decision to prioritise continuity against the All Blacks.
Most have averaged approximately 140 minutes during the past six weeks, while scrum-half Herschel Jantjies has managed considerably less.
“A guy like Herschel has played probably 40 minutes, so it’s not every player who’s got 140 minutes,” Erasmus said.
“But the balance could have been, ‘listen here, let’s chop and change against New Zealand and we lose the series.’”
It was a calculated gamble that ultimately paid off.
After losing the opening Test 33-16 at Ellis Park, the Springboks responded by winning three consecutive Tests to secure the inaugural Greatest Rivalry Series.
Erasmus must now deal with the other side of that decision, with a number of players short of significant match minutes heading into the clash with the Wallabies.
The Bok boss isn’t expecting his new-look combination to immediately operate at full speed.
“I don’t think they’re going to fire from the start. But I can tell you that they’re really hungry. They really want to play, and they’ve been idling for a hell of a long time.
“Hopefully it doesn’t get too sticky in the beginning. But it’s not like Australia has played 300 minutes in the last three weeks or so. I think we’ll be OK.”
Despite making sweeping changes, Erasmus believes he has selected a balanced side capable of matching Australia’s mobility.
The starting XV has an average age of 28, while Erasmus has also retained significant experience among his replacements should the Springboks find themselves under pressure in Perth.
“It’s a well-balanced team; a bit younger than the team that played last time, with some proper back-up on the bench.”
