Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus welcomed a morale-boosting victory over the Wallabies in the second round of the Rugby Championship, while undoubtedly also quietly celebrating the All Blacks’ unexpected loss to Argentina.
With now just two log points separating first and fourth in the Rugby Championship standings, there is everything to play for as the Springboks head into back-to-back Tests in New Zealand.
“The Rugby Championship is still wide open with all four teams having won a match in the first two rounds, so this tour is going to be vital for us, and we’ll certainly take confidence from the win against Australia last week when we board the plane,” said Erasmus.
“Facing the All Blacks in New Zealand is a massive challenge, but all the teams in this competition are ranked among the top sides in the world, and each one has the potential to beat one another on the day.
“In the last two months alone, Australia defeated us at Ellis Park and went down narrowly in their British & Irish Lions Series defeat, while Argentina defeated New Zealand last weekend and the British & Irish Lions, so we are not paying much attention to our historic records in New Zealand.
“We learned valuable lessons from our first game against Australia, and we know exactly what we have to do to reach our standards and improve as the competition progresses, and I don’t think we need more motivation than that.”
HERE IS HOW THE LATEST RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP LOG LOOKS AFTER SPRINGBOKS’ WIN AND ALL BLACKS’ DEFEAT
The Springboks are next in action against New Zealand at Eden Park in Auckland on 6 September.
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