Erasmus accepts blame as Springboks seek response after Ellis Park defeat

South Africa coach Rassie Erasmus has accepted responsibility for tactical mistakes that contributed to the Springboks’ defeat by New Zealand in the opening Test of the Greatest Rivalry series at Ellis Park on Saturday.

The All Blacks held firm when South Africa came under pressure near the New Zealand line, while the Springboks’ renowned “bomb squad” failed to produce its usual impact from the bench.

Erasmus believes that was partly because the starting players were unable to turn promising positions into points, leaving the replacements to enter the match with South Africa already chasing the game.

“I think we didn’t get what we wanted from the bench because the guys who started didn’t convert when we were there,” Erasmus told reporters on Monday.

The coach said both he and the rest of the coaching staff must take responsibility for the decisions made during the match, including calls that did not produce the desired outcome.

South Africa had three opportunities to kick penalties but instead chose scrums, with New Zealand under pressure close to its own try line. However, the All Blacks responded by winning a scrum penalty and clearing the danger.

Erasmus said he personally should have made different decisions when South Africa was attacking inside New Zealand’s 22-metre area.

“I think me personally made some wrong calls on some of the tactics we wanted to try and do inside the 22,” noted Erasmus.

“Our plans didn’t work, and that’s on me. And then the way New Zealand stopped us there. So, yes, the bench didn’t have the impact, but the guys who started, and us as coaches, didn’t give those guys the platform to actually go on and finish those things.

“They had to chase the game. And I don’t know, those three scrums there in the middle. I say it again… the wrong call.

“Take the three points. There’s no bonus points. You know, it’s a series.”

The remarks provide further insight into South Africa’s first-Test loss and the thinking behind the decisions that saw the hosts turn down penalty-goal opportunities.

The Springboks will have an immediate chance to correct those errors when they face the All Blacks again in the second Test in Cape Town on Saturday.

Erasmus said the match situation should have influenced South Africa’s approach more clearly, particularly because the contest forms part of a series rather than a standalone competition in which bonus points were relevant.

Kick-off in Cape Town is scheduled for 17:10.