Meanwhile, flyhalf Handré Pollard silenced his critics with a solid all-round performance.
The Boks’ front rankers who were in action against Scotland, from left Zach Porthen, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Wilco Louw, Boan Venter and Ntuthuko Mchunu. Picture: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images
Rassie Erasmus says it was important to test a number of the Springboks’ less experienced players against a top tier nation like Scotland, following the Nations Championship clash at Loftus in Pretoria on Saturday.
The Boks edged the Scots 42-28 in a tight match in which they were tested in a number of departments. They scored six tries to Scotland’s four.
It was a largely inexperienced Bok side that ran out, with several players having featured in less than 10 Tests.
Classy Scotland
“We had 12 guys who each had less than 10 caps – half the team – so we knew cohesion was going to be a problem,” said Erasmus. “You could see that in the defence and when we made some subs at the end.
“We learned a lot about some players – not that they are not good enough – but that there’s a lot of work to be done.
“This is the test that some of the guys needed – not against a tier two nation; but against a tier one nation that’s a really class team.
“You can play guys against a team like Georgia, but it doesn’t have the intensity of playing against Scotland, so if someone plays well, you still don’t know about him.
“This Scotland team has beaten France, England, Argentina last week … we learned some guys still need work to do, while others made it.”
Erasmus added: “Sometimes we must put our personal goals to one side of how many games you’ve won in a row or even putting winning this championship on the line so that you can know who can do what.
“If you don’t make those calls you would never know. When do you do it? Are you always going to do it when you play a team that’s not of this calibre – because I think they are a great team. That’s how you find out.”
Pollard silences critics
The Boks twice took a big lead (14-0 and 35-14) at Loftus just for Scotland to hit back with two tries of their own each time to make the Test a proper challenge.
The impact made by the Boks’ bench-sitters after half-time, especially Zach Porthen, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Elrigh Louw and Grant Williams was huge.
“The way Scotland play … fast and wide, I felt we needed more wheels on the field. Wilco [Louw] scrummed well and made tackles but he’s not as fast as Zach. Jan-Hendrik also came on and moved between prop and hooker.
“Evan [Roos] would have felt the step up and the intensity, but Elrigh made a difference there. Embrose [Papier] showed he can make the step up, but we wanted some additional leadership there, when Handré [Pollard] moved to 12.”
Williams came on and played well, upping the tempo, while rookie Quan Horn looked comfortable at 10, with Pollard outside him.
Erasmus was full of praise for Pollard’s performance, which included his shifting between flyhalf and inside centre. He was sound in all departments and silenced his critics after a not so good season with his franchise, the Bulls.
“As I’ve said before, you can’t compare what a player does at franchise level and what he does for us. The expectations are different; the attack, defence and kicking systems are different.
“Handré fits into our system and I’m happy for him.”
