Rassie Erasmus calls Springboks’ win over All Blacks ‘epic’ as injuries mount

South Africa head coach Rassie Erasmus described the Springboks’ 29-24 victory over New Zealand at FNB Stadium as “epic” after both teams suffered significant injuries in a fiercely contested third Test.

The result gives South Africa a 2-1 lead in the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Test series, following successive victories at DHL Stadium and FNB Stadium. It also ended the Springboks’ long-standing hoodoo at the Calabash.

In front of a crowd of 85,976 in Soweto, the teams were level at half-time after an intense opening 40 minutes. South Africa then took control of the second half, scoring two tries and adding a penalty from Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu to secure the win.

The Springboks will now attempt to complete the series victory in the fourth Test in Baltimore next weekend.

“I thought it was epic. I think the whole series so far is epic and now they can draw it in Baltimore. Obviously we are happy tonight, but I don’t want to swear again because I got into trouble last time,” said Erasmus.

The 53-year-old coach had apologised after using foul language following the previous match.

“I really apologise for that last weekend. It was not well-mannered, I apologise. No, it was epic and it was intense and both teams lost some vital players.”

“We lost Cheslin [Kolbe], they lost Ardie [Savea]. It was a fierce battle in all departments. I think the scoreboard at the end showed how close the game was.

“We’re just happy we won and now we must try and replicate that in Baltimore.”

South Africa will be without Cheslin Kolbe for the fourth Test after the wing was forced off in the 10th minute. Erasmus confirmed that Kolbe suffered a broken jaw.

Erasmus also provided an update on other Springboks returning from injury, although the source article did not give further details about those players.

He acknowledged the challenge posed by New Zealand’s approach, saying the All Blacks had arrived with a 100% record and had adopted a style that was particularly difficult to defend.

“But they came in with a 100% record and they’re playing a style that is tough to defend. Our pre-season series is posting, but we’ve been together since 2018. I don’t know if we’ve ever, in the last two years since the World Cup, selected a team with continuity.

“Our plan was always to give a lot of guys a chance with our eye on the World Cup. But then when we get into this rivalry series, we start to build some momentum and continuity.”

The Springboks’ selection strategy had initially been designed to give a wider group of players opportunities ahead of the World Cup. However, the importance of the rivalry series has led to greater consistency in selection as South Africa have built momentum over the three Tests.