"It’s sh*t to lose for us, we don’t enjoy it," Erasmus conveyed his disappointment post-match. He emphasized the team's responsibility for the defeat without blaming external factors.
"We know how South Africans feel now and we don’t want to give them that feeling. For us, we lost in a Springbok jersey against Australia, and with all the disruptions, we have nobody else to blame but ourselves for the result."
Despite facing technical glitches during the game, including issues with the stadium clock and referee's communication systems, Erasmus dismissed their impact on the game's outcome. "I know the technology failed a bit...but that didn’t influence how we played. We controlled that," Erasmus stated, affirming the loss was due to performance, not circumstances.
The Springboks had recently adjusted their lineup following a victory over the All Blacks in Baltimore, but Erasmus refused to use this as an excuse. "When you’re 25 points behind, there’s nobody else to blame but yourself," he admitted, acknowledging that the integration of less experienced players did not account for the loss.
"We rolled the dice a bit, and some guys haven’t played a lot together in a long time, but it’s not an excuse. We picked the team, and we had a game plan, and I thought we had a chance at the end, but the better team won on the night."
Looking forward, Erasmus recognized the strength of the Australian team, noting their improvement under coach Les Kiss. He suggested that this match could serve as a valuable learning experience, particularly with the potential of meeting Australia again in significant future competitions like the World Cup.
"Australia are a good team and they’ve definitely improved a lot. They played at home and they’re the World Cup hosts next year," he observed, hinting at the strategic insights gained from the encounter. "We might meet them in a vital playoff game, and it was nice to get a taste of them tonight. When we play them next year, we’ll know a little bit more about each other."
The loss, painful as it was, highlighted several areas of concern that the Springboks need to address. Erasmus's candid admission of the team's shortcomings and acceptance of responsibility sets a sobering tone as they prepare for future challenges on the international stage.
