Coach Rassie Erasmus says the Springboks must channel the emotional intensity of a long, dramatic season into Saturday’s Test against Ireland in Dublin.
The Boks are into what Erasmus called their “14th match of the season at Test level”, a run that has included emotional peaks such as the record win over the All Blacks in Wellington and the hard-fought triumph over France in Paris.
Maintaining that edge, Erasmus admitted, is a major challenge.
“We’ve been together since the beginning of June,” he said. “To keep the intensity and the emotional high of the France game, New Zealand away twice, Argentina … they’ve been big Test matches.
“Some were easier, some had red cards, some had drama. But we never played perfect rugby, not always brilliant rugby. There were times when we played horrible rugby.”
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With Ireland ranked among the world’s best, Erasmus said this weekend offers a chance to measure South Africa’s growth.
“If we play at our best and Ireland are just better on the day, then Ireland were better,” he said. “But it would be great if we go into this match and play really, really well to our standards.”
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A win in Dublin would also tick off a glaring omission in the team’s recent history.
“We haven’t won here since I’ve been involved,” Erasmus said. “It definitely comes up. I’d be lying if I said it doesn’t. It’s something we haven’t done, so let’s go and try do it.”
But he warned against letting the occasion become a burden.
“When you draw too much on things, you tend to stand still,” he said. “Australia beat us at Ellis Park after many years, but life moved on and we then beat the All Blacks with one of the biggest scores in history.”
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Erasmus also dismissed the idea that facing Ireland is personal for him after his coaching years at Munster.
“If it’s about me, then we’re talking about the wrong things,” he said. “I learned a hell of a lot here – discipline, precision. It’s not personal. It would just be nice to beat them as a team, something we haven’t done.”
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The world champions close out their year against Wales in Cardiff next Saturday.
Photo: Jean Catuffe/Getty Images
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