Though they might sometimes annoy the living daylights out of rivals with the way they go about things, the only thing that really matters for the Springboks is winning for South African people from all walks of life, coach Rassie Erasmus said.
In an emotional outburst after the Boks clinched the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series with a 43-28 win over the All Blacks in the US city of Baltimore, Erasmus dedicated the triumph to people back home on the farm, the boy in the township and people in shopping malls.
He said making South Africans from all walks of life happy was a prime motivator for the world champions whenever they took to the field.
The Boks outscored the All Blacks by six tries to four to clinch the series 3-1 in front of a US record crowd of 68,000, many of whom were expatriate South Africans.
“It was awesome to see so many South Africans here in Baltimore. I don’t know how they afford it or how they got here, but it’s great,” Erasmus said.
“We appreciate the people who were here, but we don’t forget the people who were at home.
“The people on the farm or the boy in the township or the people in the shopping mall. That’s what drives us.
“Obviously we want to win, and that’s great for us as a team, and that’s why we play rugby, but we want them to be happy.
“I know we sometimes annoy other people around the world for the way we go about things, or the angle we take on issues, but we really care the most about South African people.
“We enjoy the other people around the world, and we understand their opinions and love the banter, but there’s only one reason for us as a team, and for us as a country, it’s for South Africa.
“I wouldn’t say we were the better team.
“At 60 minutes, the game was still in the balance. We appreciate that we won, but the margin between us and New Zealand is very small.
“The way the New Zealanders came to our country and embraced our country, and the way they gave themselves to people in our country.
“We came together afterwards to thank them for that.
“It’s tough that one team has to win and one team has to lose, but we know we are going to see each other again.”
Erasmus said a brilliant try by wing Kurt-Lee Arendse had been a turning point in a close contest.
“Yeah, I think Kurt Lee changed the game,” he said.
“I think when Kurt Lee started burning guys, because Kurt Lee himself admitted he was going through a bit of a mental dip and a physical dip, and had concussions and stuff.
“I thought when he scored that try, I thought it was pivotal.
“I thought the game was totally anybody’s game. Sometimes a guy like Cheslin Kolbe could change it, and today the team did it. But I thought Kurt Lee especially.”
Bok captain Siya Kolisi paid tribute to the fans who attended the historic clash and those who watched at home.
“The support is really special for us, and that’s who we do it for,” he said.
“The people who can afford to come here and those who are at home.
“Because there was a long stoppage (for referee audio problems), we were still in the zone, but my goodness, in that moment, you get to appreciate the crowd singing and enjoying the environment, and hopefully we have made it special for them.”
Scorers:
Springboks 43: Tries: Damian de Allende, Morne van den Berg, Malcolm Marx, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Cameron Hanekom. Conversions: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (2), Morne van den Berg, Manie Libbok (2). Penalty goal: Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
New Zealand 28: Tries: Codie Taylor, Will Jordan, Ethan Blackadder, Beauden Barrett. Conversions: Damian McKenzie (4).
- Follow The Herald WhatsApp channel today and stay connected to the stories shaping our world.
The Herald