Rassie Erasmus Gives Honest Assessment of Springboks’ Performance Against Ireland

• Rassie Erasmus has shared his thoughts on the Springboks' win over Ireland in Dublin on Saturday evening
• The South African rugby coach assessed the team's performance as they got their first victory in Dublin since 2012
• The coach's reaction gathered different thoughts from rugby fans on social media after the game

Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus has commented on his team's performance following their 24-13 win over Ireland at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Saturday, 22 November 2025.

The victory marked the Springboks’ first in Dublin since 2012 and only their second triumph against Ireland in six encounters.

While the Boks will be pleased with the win, they will be disappointed with their performance, having dominated much of the match but failing to secure a decisive victory thanks to some brilliant Irish defence, especially in their own 22-metre area.

The win marks their fourth successive win after defeating Japan, France and the Azzuri of Italy in Turin earlier in their end-of-year tour.

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Erasmus on Springboks' performance vs Ireland

Erasmus admitted after the match that while their performance in the win against Ireland at the Aviva Stadium was not flawless, the team was delighted to end a 13-year winless streak in Dublin. He described the win as significant, noting that Ireland had dominated their encounters over the years.

The South African rugby coach highlighted that, looking at the last five games, the European rugby nation still held a slight edge with three wins to two, so the team would not get carried away with the result, but he added light-heartedly that “the beer tastes a little better.”

Erasmus, speaking during the post-match press conference, expressed gratitude for being able to secure the win after a long season, pointing out that many players would soon return to Japan, while others would participate in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship the following week.

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Despite the challenges, Erasmus said the team was proud to grind out a victory against such a strong opponent on their home turf for the first time in over a decade.

Here is what fans are saying concerning Erasmus' reaction after the match in Dublin.

Ashley Pieterse

"What I've been trying to explain to Irish and Bok fans today. The Boks could have beaten the Irish by 40+ if they wanted to. But their primary goal was to get that win against the Irish in Dublin. The Boks are smart & dangerous. They didn't even switch on the afterburners today."

Noel O Donoghue wrote:

"Well done, guys. But what was that ref doing ..spoiled the game Well deserved win. We defended like Trojans against the no I team. In the world. 🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪☘️☘️☘️."

CeeJay Swanepoel shared:

"Proud of Rassie. Strategic in his thinking, merciless in his execution and humble is his victories."

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Monde Hams commented:

"What is World Rugby waiting for? They can name Rassie, the Coach of the Year already, no debates needed!!"

Andrew Pienaar added:

"Andy Farrell was incredibly ungracious in defeat - completely missing his team's role in their defeat - their cynical, deliberate infringements which should have seen at least 6 more yellows - except you have to stop the game below 12 men - ah well, at least Rassie and the Boks were gracious in victory giving respect to Ireland and their team."

Erasmus on bold substitution vs France

Briefly News also reported that Eramus explained the reason behind his bold substitution in South Africa's victory over France.

The South African rugby coach decided to sub off some of the veterans of the team, including the captain, Siya Kolisi, who was making his 100th Test cap in the match.

Proofreading by Kelly Lippke, copy editor at Briefly.co.za.

Source: Briefly News