‘If you don't change you get left behind' – Erasmus on evolving Boks
Rassie Erasmus is constantly looking to make the Springboks the best team in the game. Picture: Anton Geyser/Gallo Images
The Springboks are constantly evolving and if they don't want to be left behind they need to continue to do so, according to coach Rassie Erasmus, as they prepare to officially open their international season against Italy at Loftus this weekend.
The Boks got up and running with a non-Test against famed invitational side, the Barbarians, in Cape Town over the past weekend, and now play their first official Test of the season, in the opening game of their incoming series.
The big win over the BaaBaas showed the Boks' impressive attacking threat, even in miserable and wet conditions, as they ran in eight tries and only conceded one, for a 54-7 result, and Erasmus said they want to build on that against the Italians.
'If you don't change, you get left behind. We started evolving when attack coach Tony Brown came in last year. You could see the intent last week, and if it wasn't so wet, more of the offloads would have stuck,' said Erasmus earlier this week.
'This group of senior guys who are playing this weekend want to continue with that. This team will definitely not slot back to 2019 when it was a kick-and-chase, pressure game for us. This team on Saturday must try and get it right.'
Experienced team
The team named to face Italy is chock full of experience and features a large number of double World Cup winners, which brought up questions about whether the Boks were going for a bit more of a conservative game, but Erasmus explained that even the older guys have been evolving with the new blood.
'As new blood comes in, we change. In 2019, Swys de Bruin (attack coach) withdrew a month before the World Cup and we met (replacement) Felix Jones in Japan. That is how much time we had to prepare on the attacking front,' said Erasmus.
'Then, post-2019, the Covid pandemic took two years of development away from us, and we had no preparation for the Lions series.
'Still, with the (limited) time we had going into the last World Cup, we played some good attacking rugby. None of these guys we're still picking are not coachable enough to evolve with us.'
If the Boks get what they want out of the first Italian game, it is likely they will make a slew of changes for the second Test in Gqeberha, as they look to spread game time and give other players a run, with Erasmus saying that the players already know who is likely to play.
That means a number of fringe players could get a chance, as well as a few debutants, while it will also be a chance for some stalwarts to come back from injury, with regular captain Siya Kolisi expected to play, along with Pieter-Steph du Toit, Grant Williams and Makazole Mapimpi.
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Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Normally, Springbok Test tickets sell out quickly, but it appears the combination of opposition and pricing is making supporters think twice about attending. During a recent investigation, Independent Media compared ticket prices for some of the Springboks' away matches this year — including the much-anticipated Rugby Championship clash against the All Blacks at Auckland's Eden Park — using the 'Big Mac Index'. According to the data, the most expensive ticket for the Boks vs All Blacks match is, after conversion, around R968 — significantly lower than the top-end R3 000 tickets for Springbok home fixtures. Similarly, the most expensive tickets for the Springboks' Tests against Argentina in London and Wales in Cardiff are also cheaper, calculated at R1 469 and R1 017 respectively. However, Oberholzer maintains that domestic ticket pricing is fair and necessary to keep the sport afloat in South Africa. 'We feel that we are fairly priced,' he said during a media briefing, where Hyundai announced they had expanded their collaboration, which will now also include the Springboks and all other national teams, with SA Rugby. 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