Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus experienced mixed emotions following the team’s 32-15 victory against Scotland in the opening Test of the Castle Lager Outgoing Tour in Edinburgh on Sunday, saying that he would like the team to be more in sync as they continue to build their squad depth.
The Springboks scored four tries to none by the hosts, with all Scotland’s points earned compliments of penalty goals, but both Erasmus and Springbok captain Eben Etzebeth felt the scoreboard flattered the visitors.
“The scoreboard doesn’t tell the whole story, but we can be proud of the fact that we didn’t concede a try in the last two matches we played against them,” said Erasmus.
“We had to work hard to beat them, so in general we are not pleased with our performance today.”
Elaborating on his statement, Erasmus said: “I was happy about the effort the team showed and winning by 17 points away from home, but we need to work on trying to sync better on the field and handle things better if in case we get injuries.”
Etzebeth echoed his coach’s sentiments and admitted that they expected a hard grind against the Scots, who entered the weekend ranked seventh on the world rankings.
“We said from the outset Scotland are a quality team, and one of the best in the world,” said Etzebeth.
“I think (winning by) 17 points flatters us a bit. We knew it would be a grind of a match, and credit to them, they played well today.”
Looking forward to their next assignment against England at the Allianz Stadium in London on Saturday, Erasmus said it would be a different test altogether: “Next week against England will be a different challenge as we will be facing a desperate team that come off two losses in matches they could have won.”
The Springboks will travel from Edinburgh to London on Monday and begin their on-field preparations for their clash against England on Tuesday.
