Rassie praises Boks’ ‘soul’ in clinical thrashing of Wales

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus lauded his team for a “clinical performance” in their emphatic victory against Wales at Principality Stadium on Saturday, which saw the Boks complete the Outgoing Tour with a clean sweep of victories for the second year in a row.

The 73-0 thrashing brought up the Springboks’ 13th victory out of 15 matches this season for a win record of 86.7%, and it also marked the most points scored under Erasmus’ guidance against Wales.

Making the victory in Cardiff more impressive was Erasmus had to make eight personnel changes from the 23-14 win against Ireland in Dublin due to a number of front-line players returning to their franchises for United Rugby Championship duty.

“I’m very proud of the way we played,” Erasmus said. “We never underestimated Wales, regardless of where they were in the world rankings, and their team as well, in general.

“I think Asenathi [Ntlabakanye] made the last turnover and we are so glad for guys like him, Zac [Porthen] and many others who haven’t played for us in a while. Their hunger showed today and it was important for us to fight until the end.

“We delivered a controlled performance and we don’t have guys who just roll over. They take the shots, and tonight I thought it was one of the more clinical performances. We put our soul into the game as opposed to trying to focus on their soul, because the Welsh are a very controlled team. That said, we know it can change in one game.”

Springbok captain Siya Kolisi was also humble about the display and praised his teammates for making his job easier and the structures the coaches have put in place to ensure the team can deliver their best performances on the field.

“I have so many guys around me and a lot of them have captained the team, so when I go onto the field, I don’t have much to worry about,” Kolisi said.

“The way coach Rassie created the structure within the team, we have so many guys who are leaders in their own right. The stuff off the field and feeling the team’s energy is what I really focus on [and] I don’t do it alone. We draw energy from one another, and there’s so much good happening in our country and sport.

“It’s a privilege to play as hard as we can so there is something to smile about, to give the people going through hopeless situations at home hope. Our purpose is always for our people back home.”

The Boks finished the season as the top team in the world rankings with the Rugby World Cup draw coming up next week.

“We never look at the world rankings, but this year finishing at the top of the rankings was important for us,” Erasmus said. “We are not sure if it will be beneficial when the Rugby World Cup draw is made and even though we will play good teams throughout next year [in the Nations Championship and Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry], we’ll still try to get more caps into the players.”

Commenting on Eben Etzebeth’s red card late in the match, Erasmus said: “I don’t know what I can say at this stage. It didn’t look good, and I thought it was a justified red card. I’m not sure if it was provoked but that’s not the way we want to play.”

The Bok coach had words of encouragement for Wales.

“Things can change quickly and a lot can change in one year. If you look at the players they lost in one patch [in recent months], there were so many I’ve coached against and they are experienced guys who understand the Welsh psyche and what they stand for.

“When you lose 15 guys at one time, it’s hard, but eventually somewhere it will come right.”

The bulk of the Springbok coaches and a group of players will depart for South Africa on Sunday and arrive at home or at their respective provincial unions and clubs on Monday.

SA Rugby media