\u201cWe are trying to please our crowds by winning and playing a better brand and sometimes we get it wrong like we did last weekend, but sometimes when we get into games like this where it\u2019s a real grind we tend to find a way.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe tend to struggle when it\u2019s an open, free-running game \u2013 it\u2019s beautiful rugby but you lose on the scoreboard. Overall, we\u2019ll learn from this and hopefully the tighter the matches get, we\u2019ll get more comfortable with it as we have been in the past.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fixture<\/p>\n
Rugby Championship<\/p>\n
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New Zealand <\/p>\n
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South Africa <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n This was a strange admission to make for three reasons. Firstly, Erasmus\u2019 words are self-limiting, effectively conceding that the Springboks coaching staff are forced to pick between winning and entertaining, narrowing what this side can believe it\u2019s capable of. What has attack coach Tony Brown<\/a> made of this statement? Is he now under pressure to devise a new strategy? Wasn\u2019t he appointed for the sole purpose of injecting spark in the backline?<\/p>\n Secondly Erasmus\u2019 concession feels like a critique of some of his attacking players. Manie Libbok<\/a> was at fault for one of Australia\u2019s tries in Johannesburg when he chucked a wild intercepted pass, and he was at times guilty of overplaying elsewhere, but there\u2019s no question that at his best he has the attacking nous to unlock any defence. Grant Williams<\/a> is providing zip from scrum-half. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu<\/a> is a bona fide problem with ball in hand. The wings dazzle, the full-backs strike from distance, the centres boast deft touches and lightning feet when given licence to roam. <\/p>\n The Springboks are not simply a blunt object. On their day they can be just as incisive and sharp as any other top team. Erasmus\u2019 words \u2013 perhaps self-deprecating and self-preserving \u2013 feel restricting. It\u2019s like he\u2019s vowed to keep the Ferrari parked in the garage just because he stalled the engine a couple of times.<\/p>\n There\u2019s a third reason why Erasmus\u2019 comments came across as baffling and this is the most important of the lot. Erasmus was apologetic. He never said \u2018sorry\u2019, but there was no mistaking his tone. As a coach he has always tapped into the direct line between himself and the supporting public and these post-match comments seemed to reach beyond the listening journalists in an attempt to touch the paying public.<\/p>\n None of this is necessary. Because the only thing that truly matters to South African rugby supporters is the result of a Test match. Not style, not passes in the tramlines, not turnovers won, not ruck speed across 80 minutes. None of that holds a candle to the significance of the score-line at the final whistle.<\/p>\n Oh, New Zealand played the better rugby during the 2023 World Cup final? Cool. Oh, England bossed the skies and deserved to win the semi-final? Grand. Oh, France did most of the running in the quarter-final with Antoine Dupont<\/a> playing the role of hometown hero? Lekker bru.<\/p>\n All rugby supporters love to support a winning team. South Africans are not unique in this regard. But because of the political, cultural and social role that the team plays in the country, there\u2019s an argument to be made that no other rugby nation needs their team to win as much as South Africans. Even the All Blacks<\/a>, who embody New Zealand\u2019s best traits and are the nation\u2019s most recognisable brand, don\u2019t carry quite the same burden.<\/p>\n And isn\u2019t this a sign of the strength of the Boks? Almost every other international coach would love to have the problem of making apologies after a win. Would the head coaches of Scotland, Argentina, England or Wales<\/a> feel the need to face a press conference and effectively downplay a triumph over Australia? Would they droop their eyes and repent because their team didn\u2019t execute an array of coast-to-coast tries? Of course not. They\u2019d sit at the top table beaming, proud of the fact that their team emerged victorious.<\/p>\n
![\"Team](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/1756145469_681_815.png.webp\")
Match Summary ![\"Team](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/1756145469_821_802.png.webp\")