Rassie Erasmus Points Out What Springboks Failed to Do Despite Defeating All Blacks at FNB Stadium
- The Springboks edged out the All Blacks at FNB Stadium in Johannesburg on Saturday in a tightly contested third Test
- South Africa led the series 2-1 after a match that was level at 12-all at half-time before the Boks pulled ahead
- Rassie Erasmus acknowledged missed opportunities but defended his team's performance across key battlegrounds
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South Africa secured a 2-1 series lead over New Zealand after winning the third Test of Rugby's Greatest Rivalry 29-24 at FNB Stadium on Saturday, in a fiercely competitive contest.
The match was perfectly balanced at 12-all when the teams returned from the break, before the Springboks found the decisive moments in the second half to pull clear and claim the series advantage.
Erasmus admits Boks left Points behind
Speaking after the final whistle, Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus acknowledged that his side had not been clinical enough during periods when conditions favoured them.
"There were penalties we could have slotted from distance, a couple of knock-ons, simple errors out wide that we didn't capitalise on. But over 80 minutes it evened out," Erasmus said.
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Despite the victory, the coach was candid about the margins involved, admitting the contest could have unfolded very differently had the Springboks failed to correct those lapses.
Scrum battle more even than reported
Erasmus pushed back on suggestions that South Africa had dominated the scrum, an area that generated considerable attention following last week's second Test.
"I don't think we were dominant at scrum time today; I think it was pretty even, and it could easily have gone against us," he said.
The coach also took the opportunity to highlight the breadth of South Africa's set-piece game beyond scrummaging alone. "We love our set-piece, we love scrummaging, but we love mauling just as much," Erasmus added.
The victory at FNB Stadium puts the Springboks in command of the series heading into any remaining fixtures, with the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry contest against the All Blacks continuing to draw enormous attention from the global rugby community.
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Source: Briefly News
