Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus praised his players for firing themselves up for their record win over the All Blacks.
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus revealed that it was the players who inspired and fired themselves up at halftime to power their way to a record 43-10 win over the All Blacks in their Rugby Championship clash at the “Cake Tin” in Wellington on Saturday.
It was a disruptive first half that saw the Boks lose two players to injury, and another two to HIAs, although Cobus Reinach returned at the start of the second half, while they missed a slew of chances to trail 10-7 at the break.
They then emerged for the second half and produced a blinding display of attacking rugby to overrun the All Blacks, scoring five tries and 36 unanswered points, on their way to their biggest ever win over their fiercest rivals.
Asked after the match what the coaches said at halftime to inspire the team, Erasmus said that it was the players who did most of the talking.
“Playing New Zealand here after last week’s loss, it’s massive for us. We have so much respect for a team like New Zealand, so for us to get away with this win … it means a lot,” said Erasmus.
“The players spoke the most (at halftime). We had quite a few guys injured and with concussion. So we had to make some plans, and the players really pulled those off after halftime.”
Even though it was a much changed Bok backline that impressed the most in the match, Erasmus said it was still a team effort: “We have a squad of 45 players, and these were just the guys playing tonight. Of course they put up their hands, but we have some solid guys who also didn’t play today, so we are really proud.”
Ethan Hooker
Bok rookie Ethan Hooker, in his first start for the team, was one of the players to impress, and he was thrilled after the game, holding the Freedom Cup, and reminiscing about his first tour to New Zealand.
“It was an absolutely awesome experience. I think the boys really connected and gelled well, and in the end we pulled it through with a massive performance,” explained Hooker.
“I think we came up with the right kind of plans, the right kind of solutions for our problems (from the Eden Park loss), and then we just managed to pull it off as a team.
“It’s my first time here, I feel really privileged to be here, I have loved it, it’s an awesome atmosphere and I will do it 100 times over.”
