Rassie Erasmus Explains Why Springboks Lost to All Blacks, Names Player Who Made Mistake

• Rassie Erasmus has reacted to the Springboks' defeat against the All Blacks of New Zealand in the first round of their Rugby Championship clash this weekend
• The South African rugby tactician also pointed out the player who made a mistake, while also outlining the problems in the game
• The Jesse Kriel-led side started the game slowly and failed to level the scoreline when they surged to fight back

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has shared his views after South Africa continued their poor record at Eden Park, losing to the All Blacks of New Zealand on Saturday, September 6, 2025.

The Springboks delivered a performance overshadowed by individual mistakes, falling 14-0 behind within the first 17 minutes of the match and 17-3 shortly after the break.

Jesse Kriel was leading the Boks for the first time against the All Blacks but was unable to mark the occasion with a victory. The All Blacks largely dominated the breakdown, which made things difficult for Erasmus's side.

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Erasmus: Why Springboks lost to All Blacks

Speaking to the media after the match, Erasmus reflected on some of the things that went wrong in the game.

“The scrum battle was fairly balanced, and while our maul didn’t gain much ground, theirs wasn’t particularly effective either; they didn’t score from it,” Erasmus said.

“The real issue was the breakdown. Their possession was cleaner and more composed, whereas we struggled to manage that area. It wasn’t a case of them bending the rules, but rather we failed to assert ourselves well enough there."

“They also lost a few lineouts, I think three, so clearly the conditions were tough for both sides. We’re trying to make something happen off our lineouts, not just win them and stall. New Zealand can really shut you down if you don’t do anything meaningful after the set piece. That’s where we need to improve.”

Erasmus went on to explain that the problems for the Springboks weren’t solely due to individual mistakes, and he highlighted areas where they need to improve.

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“It was more about collective execution. Sometimes the call was off, sometimes the throw missed. It’s definitely an area where we need to improve, but so do they,” he added.

The South African rugby coach was not happy with Willie le Roux's error in the game and was surprised he made such a mistake.

“Conceding 14 points through two soft tries hurt us. Willie (le Roux) knows he made an error. I’m not quite sure what he was attempting with that tackle on Emoni Narawa. And then Malcolm (Marx) missed a crucial tackle on Will Jordan," he concluded.

“Once we were 14 points down and the rain began, we found ourselves constantly playing catch-up. We created that situation for ourselves.”

Kriel reacts after being named Boks captain ahead of Kolisi

Briefly News also reported that Kriel broke his silence on being chosen as the captain to lead the Springboks against the All Blacks despite Siya Kolisi's presence.

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Source: Briefly News