Rassie Erasmus says there’s one aspect of the All Blacks’ game the Springboks have yet to deal with convincingly ahead of the third Test at FNB Stadium.
New Zealand’s attacking ability has been on full display in the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series. They scored five tries to one in winning the first Test at Ellis Park and despite losing the second Test in Cape Town, outscored the Boks by four tries to three.
On Monday, Erasmus acknowledged that the All Blacks have repeatedly found ways to expose the Bok defence in the wider channels.
“They’re brilliant. It’s something that under Dave [Rennie] they’re doing really well.
“Under their attack coach [Mike Blair] – I’m not sure how much influence Dave has on their attack – they’re difficult to stop.”
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Erasmus believes the Boks handled the All Blacks’ wide attack well at times in the second Test, but conceded that the tourists also produced moments of individual brilliance that his side could not contain.
“The one [try] was Thomas [du Toit] was still down and then he wasn’t in the defensive line and we couldn’t complete the lineout. The other one was just a pure missed tackle by Deon [Fourie]. The other two, they outplayed us and outsmarted us, and we have to be ready for that.
“So it’s an area that we must get better in.”
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Erasmus pointed to the All Blacks’ ability to win one-on-one battles as a key difference.
“We had to work harder for our tries than they had to because they have one-on-one players who really just beat our guys with feet,” he said.
“Without a doubt, that’s something to focus on and something that we must fix.”
However, the Boks did make greater use of their opportunities in Cape Town.
“They put us away [at Ellis Park] by 17 points, because we didn’t convert our opportunities,” he said.
“Last weekend, when we had our chances, we took our three points and we scored our tries.”
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With the series level at 1-1, Erasmus says he’s eager to experience the 94,000-capacity FNB Stadium.
“It’s an exciting thing for us. We love taking [the game] to people. I know there are a lot of people from outside who will also go there, but I’m not sure how many of the people there will be able to afford a ticket.
“But whenever I’ve been [to Soweto] – I coached there once, for the Stormers-Bulls [2010] Super Rugby final – it’s a great experience. I’ve always enjoyed the vibe there.”
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Photo: Roger Sedres/Gallo Images
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