The Springboks did manage to beat Italy 42-24 at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday night in the first match of their current two-match series, but Rassie Erasmus’ men will have to do much better if they want to maintain their status as the top team on the current world rankings.

Erasmus was clearly not a happy man after the match and indicated that there could be changes to the team that will play in the second test against the Italians in Port Elizabeth next weekend. Saturday’s test was the eighth time that the Springboks and Italy had faced off on South African soil and the large crowd of 42,600 spectators that packed Loftus Versfeld was not only an indication of the popularity and status of the Springboks, it was also the largest crowd to ever attend a test between the two countries in South Africa

A frustrated Rassie Erasmus said he would reconsider his pre-planned selection for the second Castle Lager Tour test in Port Elizabeth next week, after a “disappointing” 42-24 victory over Italy on Saturday.

The Boks scored six tries to three but could not build on a 28-3 halftime lead and the Springbok coach did not hide his disappointment with the performance.

“I guess it is a positive that we scored six tries but we are frustrated. I did not pick up in the week that this was the way we were going to perform but it is all fixable – but it is frustrating,” the Springbok coach said.

Erasmus said he would reconsider his selection because of the performance and to handle the challenge posed by a young and hungry Azzurri.

“The make-up of the team may change to handle the physicality that Italy threw at us. You would think a team that made 120 tackles in the first half would break in the second half. But it is a team that is fit and passionate and we must make sure that the team that we put out next week is not just a team that can go 50 or 60 minutes it must be a team that can go 80 minutes,” Erasmus remarked.

The Boks looked like they might have broken Italy’s resistance with their fifth try at the start of the second half. But the visitors finished the more strongly.

“It was a very frustrating game. We knew they would man up, and they certainly manned up in most departments; scrums, mauling, defense, attack – it was a proper Test match,” said Erasmus.

Erasmus said the selectors would have to do some hard thinking before naming the second Test team.

We must pick nine guys to go with the others and we must decide whether they start or come off the bench. Damian De Allende has a bit of a hamstring but luckily, we do not have any injuries, just a few bruised egos,” he commented.

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