Rassie Erasmus is pleased with how the Springboks have built during this Rugby Championship, but has warned that they still need to complete the job this weekend.
South Africa go into the final round of the competition at the top of the standings following their 67-30 demolition of Argentina at the weekend.
It was their third victory of the tournament after they split the double-headers against the Wallabies and All Blacks one apiece.
A bonus-point victory over Argentina at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, this weekend will see them defend their title, but Erasmus expects a response from the South Americans.
The balance Rassie seeks
The Boks boss is also aware of their own inconsistency as they seek to balance winning matches with their preparation for the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
Erasmus has once again rotated a lot in 2025, but it has potentially led to some disappointing results.
There are signs that South Africa are beginning to get it right, however, following big victories over the All Blacks and Los Pumas.
“In a perfect world, you put Jesse [Kriel] in, you put Damian Willemse at 12 and it clicks with Canan [Moodie], and you put Damian de Allende in with Canan and it clicks,” he told reporters.
“Cheslin [Kolbe] goes off, Canan goes to the wing. Sacha [Feinberg-Mngomezulu] goes to full-back, Manie [Libbok] goes to 10, so what we are trying to do is build not just combinations but build understanding of how we try to play.
“We’ve won nothing yet in this Rugby Championship. We’ve won one, lost one, won one, lost one against New Zealand and Australia.
“I know we’re ahead on the log now, but you know how tough this Argentinian mindset is, so we still have to go and win next week.”
Springboks rotation and consistency
While Erasmus likes to rotate, a couple of his changes were injury-enforced, including Boan Venter’s promotion to the starting line-up in place of Ox Nche and Morne van den Berg’s elevation to the bench.
The Springboks head coach was delighted with how both of them performed against Argentina, but the 52-year-old knows that consistency – both as individuals and as a team – is vital.
“Krappies [Van den Berg] really sped up the game when he came on. Cobus [Reinach] has done a great job in the past three games for us, but then you’ve got Faf [de Klerk] still there and Grant [Williams] was injured for the game.
“Ox was injured, Boan slotted in nicely. Marco [Van Staden] slotted in nicely, Siya [Kolisi] got taken off, so what we’re really trying to create is make sure not just some of our combinations work, but all of our combinations work.
“That’s starting to click because that takes time as well, just swapping in and out, but you know that can also change quickly.
“We won’t get too carried away by this. We’re playing at Twickenham and we have to win that game to win the Rugby Championship, otherwise it’s just another Rugby Championship.”
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