Rassie Erasmus Shares What Springboks Must Do Against All Blacks in the 4th Test in Baltimore
- Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus identified a key tactical error from the opening Test loss that he wants his team to avoid in Baltimore
- Erasmus referenced Jannie de Beer's famous 1999 World Cup performance to illustrate his philosophy for the series decider
- Assistant coach Tony Brown has been working on expanding South Africa's attacking options beyond their traditional set-piece strengths
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Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus has warned that attempting to shut down the All Blacks rather than outscore them would be a dangerous approach heading into Saturday's series decider at Baltimore's M&T Stadium.
Speaking to the media after naming his squad, Erasmus stressed that the priority must be putting points on the board, not limiting New Zealand's attacking output.
Erasmus Draws Lesson From First Test Defeat
The Boks lost the opening match 33-16 at Ellis Park before responding with back-to-back victories, 33-26 in Cape Town and 29-24 at FNB Stadium, to take a 2-1 series lead. Erasmus acknowledged that over-caution in the first Test cost South Africa significantly.
"I think the important thing is we just have to score more points than them," Erasmus said. "I think one of the biggest mistakes you can make against the All Blacks is just to try and defend."
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He admitted the team became so fixated on stopping New Zealand that they failed to capitalise on their own attacking opportunities.
"At the end of the day, you just need to outscore your opposition. If it means they score four tries and you kick five drop goals like Jannie de Beer at the 1999 World Cup against England, you just need to score more points than them. To try and contain them is extremely difficult — just ask our franchises and France."
Tony Brown Driving South Africa's Attacking Evolution
Erasmus also highlighted the work assistant coach Tony Brown has done since the opening defeat to broaden the Boks' attacking repertoire beyond their well-known strengths at scrum and maul time.
"Tony has worked really hard since the loss in the first Test," Erasmus said. "Obviously we don't just want to score maul tries or scrum tries; we also want to use other opportunities, so we've been working hard at that."
He pointed to recent individual performances as evidence of progress. "Damian [de Allende] was good on Saturday, Jesse [Kriel] was very good, Ethan [Hooker] did well, so I think the guys are getting better," he added.
South Africa requires a victory in Baltimore to seal a 3-1 series triumph over the All Blacks.
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Source: Briefly News
