Rassie Erasmus was left red-faced and promising changes after the Springboks fell apart in a 38-22 shocker against the Wallabies at Ellis Park. Despite bolting to a 22-0 lead, the Boks crumbled, letting the Aussies tally five straight tries and snatch their first victory in Joburg since the days of black-and-white TV. A visibly shaken Erasmus faced the music in a somber presser, hinting at a roster shake-up come next week.
"This is probably one of the most embarrassing press conferences I've done in a while," admitted Erasmus. Despite the early lead mirroring a previous game against Italy where they also lost grip, the Boks' performance disintegrated. "We gave them one or two soft tries—an intercept here, a misguided pass there. They just outplayed us in every department. We weren't up to scratch in the scrums or lineouts, and post-injury, they just pushed us around at the breakdown," Erasmus lamented.
"Not to lay it on thick, but we were really dog s**t on the day."
Erasmus didn't shy away from blaming the coaching, "It was more than tactical errors; they physically dominated us. As the game progressed, they just got stronger. It's a testament to what Joe Schmidt is building with the Wallabies."
Questioned about the early offensive burst, Erasmus reflected on the team's loss of direction. "Our kick-to-ruck ratio was off, and maybe the team felt there was space that simply wasn't there. We need to keep building the innings. Leading 22-0 doesn't mean you've won the game. We ended up losing by nearly 20 points, and didn't even claw back a bonus point. It's a tough pill to swallow."
The Bok coach confirmed that a lineup switch-up was inevitable for the upcoming Cape Town Test, emphasizing the need to rethink everything from player combinations to game plans. "We had already picked next week’s team, but we're considering getting Ethan Hooker in, giving Canan Moodie and Krappie [Morne van den Berg] a start. There's a lot to mull over," he stated.
Team captain Siya Kolisi echoed the sentiment of collective responsibility.
"We let ourselves down today,"
Kolisi confessed. "We started strong, but our intensity fizzled. We know what wearing this jersey means, and we didn't live up to that. We've got to own this and make sure it doesn't happen again next week."With a week to regroup and a stern self-assessment, the Springboks look to rebound and restore their bruised pride in front of a home crowd hungry for redemption.