Rassie Erasmus sends defiant message to Springboks critics after All Blacks series win
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Defiant.
Rassie Erasmus has sent a defiant message to the Springboks’ critics after South Africa completed a historic 3-1 series victory over the All Blacks in Baltimore.
The world champions finished Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry in style on Saturday, running in six tries on their way to a 43-28 victory at M&T Bank Stadium.
It completed an impressive turnaround for the Boks, who lost the opening Test at Ellis Park before responding with three consecutive victories over New Zealand.
But speaking after the series finale, Erasmus made it clear that pleasing people outside South Africa has never been the priority.
“We just appreciate the South Africans who were here. But hell, we don’t forget the people at home, on the farm or in the township or in the businesses or in the shopping mall,” Erasmus said.
“We want to win and feel great for us as a team, but that’s why we play rugby. We just want to please South African people.
“I know sometimes we piss off other people all over the world with the way we play … but we really care the most about South African people. There’s only one reason we do this.”
Despite winning three of the four Tests, Erasmus was reluctant to suggest the series proved South Africa are now clearly superior to the All Blacks.
“No, I won’t say we’re the better team,” he said.
“At 60 [minutes], I thought it was still in the balance. We came out to win this because we had more points on the board, and that’s probably the most important thing in most of the games.
“Up until the last 11 minutes, I wasn’t sure if we were going to win. We appreciate that we won, but we definitely don’t think the margin between us and New Zealand is this.”
Erasmus identified Kurt-Lee Arendse’s second-half try as a crucial moment in Baltimore, while also revealing that the winger had endured a difficult period physically and mentally.
“When Kurt-Lee started burning – of course, Kurt-Lee himself admitted he was going through a bit of a dip, a mental dip and a physical dip, and he had concussions and stuff.
“I thought when Kurt-Lee scored that try, that was pivotal. I thought the game was still there, anybody’s game.”
The victory was particularly significant for Erasmus as it marked his 100th Test overseeing the Springboks and came in the United States, where his tenure began with defeat to Wales in Washington, DC, in 2018.
“Obviously, the first time was awful,” Erasmus added.
“A couple of years later, we won against New Zealand. It makes up for that start.”
