Rassie Erasmus said that overall, the Springboks achieved their goals for 2025, but they could 'throw everything away with a bad performance' against Wales.
Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus said his team would “throw everything away” from their successful year if they turned in a poor performance against Wales on Saturday.
The teams clash at 5.10pm at Principality Stadium, Cardiff, with the Boks heavy favourites to win their 13th match out of 15 this year. They are well ahead of the pack at the top of the world rankings.
Wales have only won two out of 10 matches this year and have fallen to 11th.
They have lost three of the last four matches against the Springboks, and last beat them in Cardiff back in 2018.
Springboks and Wales lose players
But due to the Test falling outside World Rugby’s official Test window, and because of a request from Japanese and South African clubs for players, the Springboks will be missing 12 players and Wales will go without 13.
It means a somewhat unpredictable outing, though the Springboks have managed their depth well. All of the players in their matchday 23 have already had a run this year.
In their last three games, Wales come from a drubbing by New Zealand, an unconvincing one-point win over Japan and a thrashing by Argentina – all at home.
But Erasmus said the beleaguered Welsh will recover, if not now, then soon.
“So I know in the underbelly of the Welsh there is fight,” the Bok coach said. “Somewhere it is going to come right. Steve Tandy looks like he is getting the structures together.”
Boks targeted world rankings, depth and growth this year
Erasmus said the Springboks had not given the world rankings much scrutiny in the past, it being “confusing if you don’t understand it 100%”. But this year they did a study on them and targeted a first-place finish.
He said that was one of their goals for the year, along with “player depth and experience, and evolving our game a little bit”.
He highlighted the two losses – against the Wallabies at Ellis Park and All Blacks at Eden Park – as “backward steps”, as well as their unconvincing win against Italy in Pretoria.
“I think we’ve learned a lot about ourselves, but our game can definitely improve a hell of a lot more in certain areas.
“But overall, goals achieved. But we can throw everything away with a bad performance on Saturday.”
