Erasmus credits nine years of continuity as Springboks seize 2-1 series lead over All Blacks

Rassie Erasmus has pointed to seven years of shared experience as the Springboks’ key advantage over New Zealand, speaking after South Africa moved 2-1 ahead in the Greatest Rivalry series and guaranteed themselves at least a draw with one Test remaining.

The win in Soweto means the Springboks cannot lose the series, though Erasmus was careful to stress the job is unfinished. The fourth Test in Baltimore will determine whether South Africa win or share the series.

“They can draw it in Baltimore, and obviously we are happy tonight,” Erasmus said post-match. “Some people in the media, or even some people, said it out loud that this is the series, the part in South Africa, but it’s a four-Test series.”

Erasmus also pushed back on the notion that the All Blacks had been outclassed across the series. “I know they smashed us in the first one, but I thought the score was a little bit skew. We were a lot more in that game than I think most people think. And then last weekend, in the last play, they could have drawn it.”

The Springboks head coach acknowledged that Dave Rennie’s side — unbeaten before this series — are a formidable opponent still finding their shape under a new coach. “They came in with a 100 per cent win record, and they’re playing a style that is tough to defend,” he said. “But please don’t see this as boasting — we’ve been together since 2018. They don’t have the luxury yet because he’s building a team, and I know what that feels like in 2018 when I got the team 18 months before a World Cup.”

Erasmus estimated Rennie has taken charge of only eight or nine Tests so far, contrasting that with his own near-decade of continuity with the current Springbok group. “I know these players inside out; they know me,” he said. “We’ve got the luxury of knowing each other for nine years through tough times.”

The coach also described an emotional build-up to the Soweto Test, revealing he had been moved by concerns that local supporters might not be able to afford tickets. “I was unbelievably emotional today because I wanted us to come to Soweto and take it to the South African people,” he said.