Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus admitted on Saturday that although the Boks’ performance in their victory against Ireland at the Aviva Stadium was not perfect, they were pleased to break their 13-year winning drought in Dublin.
“It was a great win against a team like Ireland, who have dominated against us since we’ve been together as a group,” said Erasmus.
“If you look back at the last five games we’ve played, they are still three-two up against us, so that we won’t get carried away with the result, but yeah, the beers are a little bit sweeter."
“We are just thankful that we were able to beat them here. It’s been a long season for us, and a lot of the players have to go back to Japan, and others will play in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship next week. But we are certainly proud after such a long season to grind through a win against a team such as them at home for the first time in 13 years.”
Commenting on the frantic nature of the match with cards being handed out throughout the match, Erasmus said it was not an anomaly for the Boks, who have had to cope with red cards in their victories against France and Italy.
“We’ve had games with red cards and a concussion when there wasn’t a ping, and we’ve had to grind it out, but in general, the match was very physical and there was obviously a 20-minute red card, which I thought was the correct call, so that the other player could come onto the field,” said Erasmus.
“I thought we were completely dominant for most parts of the game, but we just couldn’t capitalise on it while we were inside the 22m area, so it was hectic and difficult to manage with who went off and came back on, but that’s Test match rugby and you have to understand and manage those situations.”
Erasmus was gracious in victory, reflecting on the match when being quizzed about the physically his charges showed.
“Ireland were just as physical to keep us out with the tackles and turnovers they made inside the 22m area, so it was physical, but I don’t think they came off second best there,” said the Bok coach.
“If they scored in the last four minutes, then it would have been a restart, and the game would have been on. It was definitely not a perfect performance, but there was a monkey on our backs that we had to get off.
“It also wasn’t about revenge, as people have been asking all week. It was a case of trying to fix things. In the scrums were dominant, but not in every department, and we opted for that option because they were down to seven men.”
“Some people might have expected us to win because they’re four in the world and we’re one in the world, but we’re still not sure if we lose to Wales next weekend, we can drop two places.
“We are getting better at swapping in and out in different positions, but a lot of work still to do. We think we can stay at the top.”
The Springboks will depart for Wales on Sunday for the final match on their November tour in Cardiff.