Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus says he resisted the temptation to select Franco Mostert for Saturday’s clash against Ireland in Dublin and have a 7-1 bench.
Erasmus revealed he woke up on Thursday still debating whether to alter the balance of the match 23 after Mostert’s red card was rescinded the previous day.
“Until this morning I must say, waking up and I’m thinking, shouldn’t we go 7-1?” he said. “But it just f**ked up the training sessions. If you bracket this guy with that guy, it becomes a mess.”
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Although delighted that the disciplinary process cleared Mostert, Erasmus said the timing made his selection difficult.
“We decided to keep it clean and pick the guys who trained the whole week,” he added.
Turning to Ireland, Erasmus offered one of his clearest explanations yet of why the Boks have struggled to win in Dublin since 2012.
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“They’re not easy to maul [against]. Stopping a maul is not always brute force – sometimes it’s technically swinging around and outsmarting guys,” he said.
He highlighted the Irish back row’s precision at the breakdown: “It’s not always the big poach; it’s [openside flank Caelan] Doris doing really good technical things within the law.”
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Erasmus praised Ireland’s systemic excellence.
“The way the Irish system works is really great. Technically a guy always gets better here. They study a lot – they’ve got mind-gym meetings, they know exactly what lineout call you’ll make and how to counter it.”
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He added that several recent Tests between the teams have hinged on tiny margins, including the Boks’ 25-24 defeat at Kings Park last year.
“It’s not like we were totally outplayed. Look at Durban, the drop goal in the last minute. Look at the [2023] World Cup [pool match] – the last maul. It’s always close.”
Asked whether winning in Dublin would define the Springboks’ season, Erasmus said performance mattered more than narrative.
“If we play at our best and Ireland is just better on the day, what can you say? But yes, we’d love to win – we haven’t done it since I’ve been involved.”
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He also dismissed the idea that facing Ireland was personally significant because of his Munster past.
“Hell, if it’s about me, then we’re talking about the wrong things. The Irish taught me a lot. It’s not personal – it’s respect.”
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Photo: Steve Haag/Gallo Images
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