Rassie Erasmus says the Springboks’ 32-17 win over France in Paris was built on selfless decisions, calm thinking and sheer grit after Lood de Jager’s red card left them with 14 men for the entire second half.
The world champions stunned Les Bleus at the Stade de France on Saturday night, delivering one of their most composed away performances in recent years.
Erasmus praised his players for staying disciplined under pressure, and for making tough calls in the heat of battle.
“Our captain in his 100th game being taken off because we had to get Andre [Esterhuizen] on who can play loose forward and centre depending on whether we have a scrum or a lineout, so a tough call for a captain to go off at half time,” Erasmus explained.
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“When we said it to him, he just took it on the chin and understood. Also Damian de Allende, who had been playing really well, there was no reason to sub him but with Andre – he could play both in the scrums and in the backline.
“Even Boan [Venter] who had been subbed in minute 35 because he must still get used to Test match intensity, but I thought he did really well.”
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The tactical reshuffle paid off. The Boks absorbed relentless French pressure and finished stronger, with Erasmus crediting both the bench and his coaching staff for executing the half-time plan to perfection.
“The guys who started probably softened up the opposition a little bit, and the bench came on to finish it,” Erasmus said.
“Manie [Libbok] came on and Sacha [Feinberg-Mngomezulu] moved to fullback – that worked well – so I thought everyone had a good impact, but that impact comes from the players understanding that it’s a 23-man effort. In our case it’s 34 guys on tour and I think the plans the coaches made at half time made it easier for the guys who came on.”
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Despite being a man down, the Boks dominated the final 40 minutes – a display Erasmus said reflected their experience and unity.
“We desperately wanted to win this game,” he said. “I know France are ranked fifth in the world and people will say you’re ranked No 1 so you should beat the team ranked fifth.
“Playing here, the atmosphere – I think the French can be so proud of their supporters and for us it was intimidating, but luckily we’d been through this in 2018 or 2019, 2022 and again in 2023, so the experience of the players showed at half time.
“There was definitely not calmness, but making plans – mostly the assistant coaches and the players – and unfortunately some guys had to sacrifice. All credit to the whole group.”
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The Boks now turn their attention to Italy, who come off an impressive 26-19 win over the Wallabies in Udine.
Photo: Xavier Laine/Getty Images
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