Coach Rassie Erasmus has brushed off suggestions that the Springboks will be underdone when they kick off their Rugby Championship campaign against the Wallabies at Ellis Park on Saturday.
Former players, pundits and podcast hosts have questioned the Boks’ battle-hardiness after a gentle build-up featuring comfortable wins over the Barbarians, Italy and Georgia. Those matches allowed Erasmus to expand his squad depth, test combinations and trial fresh tactical innovations.
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By contrast, the Wallabies have emerged from a bruising three-Test series against the British & Irish Lions and a clash with Fiji – a run that some believe has left them sharper and more match-ready than the Boks.
Erasmus, though, isn’t buying it.
“You can look at battle-readiness in two ways,” he said. “They have six or seven injuries while playing the same team over and over, and we lost one player in Jasper Wiese over a disciplinary issue. We haven’t lost a player to injury, which bodes well for the Rugby Championship – but none of the matches we played were close.”
The rivalry continues
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While Erasmus admits the Boks were far superior to their recent opponents, he insists the matches were no less bruising.
“We could pick from a full squad, and we weren’t challenged tactically by Italy and Georgia, but those were physical matches,” he explained. “You’re never sure who did the right thing.”
The Boks will now look to channel that physical foundation into a winning start against an Australian side desperate to make a statement in Johannesburg.
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Photo: Anton Geyser/Gallo Images
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