FILE PHOTO: Rugby Union - Rugby Championship - South Africa v New Zealand - Ellis Park, Johannesburg, South Africa - August 31, 2024 South Africa coach Rassie Erasmus before the match REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko/File Photo
(Reuters) - South Africa coach Rassie Erasmus has praised the competition within his squad after they took a giant step towards the Rugby Championship title with a hard-fought 18-12 victory over New Zealand in Cape Town on Saturday.
It was a far from perfect performance from the world champions but they have now beaten the All Blacks four times in a row for the first time in 75 years and again finished the game the stronger to end their rivals’ Rugby Championship hopes.
The Springboks have several players well into their 30s who will be touch-and-go for the 2027 Rugby World Cup title defence, but also an exciting group of youngsters that have been given opportunities in recent matches, not least flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
"We are at a stage where there are young guys knocking hard on the door," Erasmus told reporters. "You can handle it two ways, see it as competition, or rather prolonging the senior players’ careers because they only play every second or third match.
"The older guys will try make it (to the 2027 World Cup) if their bodies will allow it. And the younger guys must get enough test experience. It is a good mix of trying to build together for the next few years."
The Springboks trailed 9-3 at halftime in Cape Town and were second best, but some frank discussion at the break turned around their fortunes.
"The players were a bit too emotional when we started and we were not accurate. But after halftime we calmed down and started playing better," Erasmus said. "Where they beat us was the breakdown, we were second best."
Erasmus will continue to rotate players for the remainder of the Rugby Championship, splitting his squad into two groups for the away clash with Argentina on Sept. 21 that is followed by a home fixture against the South Americans a week later.
"The guys who will play away in Argentina are already known, that has been announced internally. We will send one group to there and one group will remain in South Africa for the home game," he said.
(Reporting by Nick Said, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
