Erasmus praises Springboks debutants but admits pair 'weren't brilliant' in 45-21 rout of England

South Africa head coach Rassie Erasmus offered a candid assessment of his makeshift back row after the Springboks defeated England 45-21 at Ellis Park in Johannesburg on Saturday, saying the two late replacements “certainly weren’t out of class” — but stopped well short of lavishing praise on them.

Eben Etzebeth and captain Siya Kolisi were both withdrawn from the starting line-up just hours before kick-off, Etzebeth having picked up a head injury earlier in the week and Kolisi pulling his hamstring on Friday. The changes represented a net loss of 243 caps from the intended XV. Cameron Hanekom, winning only his second cap since 2024, was promoted from the bench to start at flanker, while the uncapped Stormers looseside Paul de Villiers came into the starting XV on the other flank. Pieter-Steph du Toit shifted to the second row to cover Etzebeth’s absence.

Erasmus was clear that experimentation was never the intention. “It probably wasn’t something we were planning to do — we were planning to just win this Test match because we think England are a class team,” he said. “But then injuries happen.”

His verdict on the two deputies was characteristically blunt. “I don’t think they were brilliant, the guys who played there, but they certainly weren’t out of class at that level and that’s good,” Erasmus said. He contextualised the challenge they faced, pointing to England’s quality despite their current losing run. “They are on a losing streak now, but before that they had an 11-game winning streak, so they know how to win. For those boys to play at this intensity against a team like that with [Tom] Curry and [Henry] Pollock — they are a good team.”

Erasmus also flagged that bonus points in the new competition format had sharpened his focus on the margin of victory, noting that New Zealand and Australia were already chasing them in their own fixtures on the same day.

South Africa’s injury concerns did not end with the pre-match withdrawals. Loosehead prop Ox Nche was forced off inside the first quarter with a knee injury, and Erasmus sounded grim about the prognosis. “I think it’s pretty bad,” he said. “We’ll have to do the scans and see what’s wrong, but we wouldn’t have taken him off — the game was not definitely in the bag at that point.”

The result extends South Africa’s dominance in the series, with England’s recent 11-game winning streak now a distant memory as Steve Borthwick’s side search for answers ahead of their next assignment.