Rassie Erasmus Opens Up on Reasons Behind Springboks’ Paris Defeat and Who Was Responsible
- Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus took full responsibility after South Africa lost to France in Round Five of the Nations Championship
- The Boks conceded 11 penalties, including a 20-minute red card for Jasper Wiese and a yellow card for Lood de Jager
- Erasmus admitted the team's indiscipline was their biggest undoing despite the players showing tremendous fight with 14 men
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Rassie Erasmus stepped in front of the cameras after a bruising night in Paris and pointed the finger squarely at himself. The Springboks fell 19-21 to France in Round Five of the Nations Championship on Saturday, and their coach was not interested in excuses.
South Africa had every opportunity to win the match. The Boks made nine entries into France's red zone but converted very few of them. Their scrums and mauls held up, but on attack, the team looked hesitant and disconnected throughout much of the evening.
Erasmus called it what it was.
Erasmus shared his thoughts in the press conference after the match and he didn't hold back.
"With everything that went wrong, we sort of played ourselves into that hole," he said. "It wasn't that France forced us into playing the way we did. It was almost like we were a bit tentative tonight, and when something like that happens, it normally comes down to the coaching staff."
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He added that he would be working through the night to understand why the team performed below its usual standard, noting that two training sessions and a six-day turnaround were factors for both sides, with France having even less preparation time.
Springbok Discipline Proves Costly Against Les Bleus
The team's penalty count was damaging. After conceding just five penalties in their previous match against Italy, the Boks gave away 11 against France. Jasper Wiese received a 20-minute red card for a dangerous cleanout, and Lood de Jager was yellow-carded for a dangerous tackle.
Playing with 14 men for a substantial portion of the match placed enormous strain on the squad.
"Those cards hurt us; it cost us in a big way," Erasmus said. "I don't think any of those cards conceded were intentional, but I agree that it should have been cards; we can't moan about that."
He was also quick to acknowledge France's performance, singling out Antoine Dupont and Maxime Lucu as standouts, while noting that a disallowed Kurt-Lee Arendse try before halftime could have shifted the game's momentum entirely.
Effort Not Enough to Rescue the Boks
Despite the defeat, Erasmus found something to hold onto in the players' character. France did not add to their score after the 30th minute, and South Africa continued to push even a man down.
"It's hard to look for positives in a defeat; it's not nice, but if I have to take a positive out of this match, it would be the effort, grind and pride the players showed," he said.
The final word, though, belonged to discipline.
"Our discipline cost us," Erasmus concluded, "and to lose by two points... to lose by any margin is terrible, but in conclusion, our discipline cost us."
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Source: Briefly News
