Rassie Erasmus Points Out Major Improvement in Springboks Following Dominant Win Over Wales

• Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus highlighted defensive improvements after South Africa kept Wales scoreless for 80 minutes
• Erasmus acknowledged that handling errors remained a concern despite solid set-piece and defensive displays
• The Springboks now face a challenging Rugby Championship assignment against Los Pumas in Buenos Aires on 8 August

Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus has pointed to notable improvements in his side's defence and set-piece following a dominant performance against Wales, though he acknowledged that unforced handling errors remain a concern going into the Rugby Championship.

South Africa shut Wales out completely over 80 minutes, with the Springbok forwards providing the platform that allowed the team to control the match comfortably from start to finish.

Erasmus sees growth from last week

Reflecting on what the team had taken from the contest, Erasmus was measured but positive about the growth he observed.

"It's difficult to say how much we've learned, but it's a Test match, and I think a lot of guys came through it with tick marks," he said.

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"In this game, we learned that our defence was better than last week, we worked really well on that, and our set-piece was really solid, but then we also had a lot of handling errors."

The coach also noted that squad members who earned starting opportunities appeared more settled under the weight of Test match demands than they had been in the previous fixture.

"I think some guys handled the pressure of Test match rugby a little bit better than we did last week," Erasmus added.

Springboks prepare for Buenos Aires challenge

With the Wales series now behind them, the Springboks will take a period of rest before shifting their focus to the Rugby Championship.

Their next assignment takes them to Buenos Aires, where they face Los Pumas on 8 August — a fixture that historically tests even the strongest touring sides.

The short break is expected to give the squad time to recover physically before preparations begin in earnest for what promises to be a demanding away fixture in Argentina.

Springboks star celebrates after hitting 50th cap

Briefly News previously reported that Springbok speedster Cheslin Kolbe described reaching the 50-Test milestone as a dream come true after helping South Africa to a convincing 45-21 victory over England on Saturday.

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Source: Briefly News