Two wins from four Tests for the Springboks on a November tour clouded by the Rassie Erasmus saga hasn’t dampened coach Jacques Nienaber’s outlook for the world champions.
The Boks beat England 27-13 at Twickenham on Saturday as Erasmus, South Africa’s director of rugby, completed a two-game matchday ban handed out by World Rugby following his criticism on social media of refereeing decisions.
The victory in London was SA’s second on tour in the UK, France and Italy – with the two defeats being against the first- and second-ranked teams in the world, Ireland and France.
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Speaking post match on Saturday, Nienaber told reporters: “We’ve had a couple of special results as a team, but this was the first win for [captain] Siya [Kolisi] and I at Twickenham, so it’s very special to us.
“The forwards were outstanding and created a good platform for our backs to attack, so all in all, it was a fantastic team effort.
“With this match being outside of the international Test window there were a whole lot of players who were not available for selection, but we have a lot of players knocking on the door and it was great to give those guys an opportunity tonight.
“It’s always good to give those players a chance under such pressure in front of a packed Twickenham, which can be pretty hostile.
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He added: “This was one of the most enjoyable four weeks we’ve had even though we only got a 50% win record. The way the team, coaches, management and the game drivers made plans and worked tightly together with it was great, and we can take a lot from this going forward.”
Erasmus has been lambasted for his rants on social media, notably by former Boks and coaches, with some suggesting the negativity around it has made things difficult for the current players.
But, Nienaber insisted the fallout from Erasmus’ latest suspension had no bearing on his team’s morale, adding after Saturday’s clash: “That’s a narrative that you can put in as much energy trying to earn respect, but people drive narratives that they will drive.
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“As long as we stay truthful to who we are and what we’re trying to do and remind ourselves of that, putting energy into that will have a change.
“My experience in the past is that trying to put energy into people you don’t have any control over, I don’t think it’ll have an influence.”
Asked by a brazen English journalist whether Erasmus had any influence for SA on the 80 minutes against England, the Bok boss replied: “No, we’re not allowed to talk to him now.”
Photo: @Springboks/Twitter
