Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus said he had nothing but respect for Les Kiss, whom he knew well from his days coaching in Ireland.
Les Kiss and Rassie Erasmus pictured before a Pro12 match between Ulster and Munster at Kingspan Stadium in Belfast in 2016. Picture: Getty Images
Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus expects the Wallabies to be “licking their lips” at the prospect of putting South Africa to the sword under quality coach Les Kiss in their one-off Test in Perth on Sunday
The Springboks have won five of their last six Tests against Australia, including their 30-22 victory in their last encounter in Cape Town in the Rugby Championship last year.
That followed the Wallabies’ 38-22 win at Ellis Park – their second ever victory at the venue.
But new coach Les Kiss, who was Erasmus’ Ulster opponent in the Pro12 and Pro 14 (now URC) and Champions Cup when Erasmus was coaching Munster in 2016 and 2017, faces the world champions for the first time with much to prove ahead of next year’s World Cup in Australia.
Springboks in the midst of an Aussie storm
“We all know it will work out somewhere that the teams will meet each other, whether in the round of 16 or quarter-final,” Erasmus said after naming his team on Tuesday.
“We know they will be up for this match, licking their lips and trying to sink their teeth into us, and trying to find a good foothold. A strong start in trying to beat us. We will try to do the same.”
The Springbok coach said the community of Terrigal, where they had been based since their Baltimore Test the weekend before last, had been excited to see the Wallabies push the Springboks hard.
They would fly to Perth on Thursday, deciding to stay in Terrigal to get a feel for the base ahead of their final World Cup warm-up against Fiji next year.
Erasmus blows Les a Kiss
Erasmus said he was still playing rugby when Kiss, along with fellow Australians Mick Byrne and Tim Lane, went into coaching.
Kiss, who first played rugby league before going into rugby union coaching, had plenty of experience to back him, seen by his stint as Springbok defence coach under Harry Viljoen.
By the time they became rivals at the aforementioned Irish unions, Erasmus had plenty of respect for Kiss.
“We’ve come a long way since Ulster. Great guy. We don’t argue a lot. He’s a good guy and a very good coach. We are in for a big battle against a team that would certainly like to put their marker down.”
Erasmus said he expected the breakdown to be massive. That was why he had selected Marco van Staden at No 8.
“They have Fraser McReight and others in their team. There are certainly guys who can disrupt the defensive breakdown. They are very good at that. Marco can help sort that out for us.”
