Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus admitted on Saturday that although the Boks’ performance in their victory against Ireland at the Aviva Stadium was not perfect, they were pleased to break their 13-year winning drought in Dublin.

The 24-13 victory marked the Springboks’ fourth win in a row on the Castle Lager Outgoing Tour, but Erasmus, his skipper Siya Kolisi, and World Rugby Men’s 15s Player of the Year, Malcolm Marx remained humble and gave credit to Ireland for their fighting spirit in the second half.

The Boks led 19-7 at halftime and went on to win the match by 11 points, despite the clash being marred by a red and yellow cards.

“It was a great win against a team like Ireland, who have dominated against us since we’ve been together as a group,” said Erasmus.

“If you look back at the last five games we’ve played, they are still three-two up against us, so we won’t get carried away with the result, but the beer tastes a little better.

“We are just thankful that we were able to beat them here. It’s been a long season for us, and a lot of the players have to go back to Japan and others will play in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship next week. But we are certainly proud after such a long season to grind through a win against a team such as them at home for the first time in 13 years.”

Commenting on the frantic nature of the match with cards being handed out throughout the match, Erasmus and Kolisi said it was not an anomaly for the Boks, who have had to cope with red cards in their victories against France and Italy.

“We’ve had games with red cards and a concussion when there wasn’t a ping and we’ve had to grind it out, but in general, the match was very physical and there was obviously a 20-minute red card, which I thought was the correct call, so that the other player could come onto the field,” said Erasmus.

“I thought we were completely dominant for most parts of the game, but we just couldn’t capitalise on it while we were inside the 22m area, so it was hectic and difficult to manage with who went off and came back on, but that’s Test match rugby and you have to understand and manage those situations.”

Kolisi, praised the coaches and referees for the consistent communication throughout the match: “At halftime, we had to make plans, but we always knew what was happening, and that’s why we took the opportunities we did. We took the penalties and we understood they had numbers short, and the scrum was working for us, which is why we went for that aspect of the game.”

Elaborating on the scrums, Marx – who received his World Rugby award from former Springbok lock Victor Matfield straight after the game – said: “It was a tough game and having that many scrums wasn’t pleasing on the neck, but they are a quality side with a quality pack, so obviously, we had to grind it out and apply as much pressure as we could to get the rewards from it.

“They did extremely well in the second half to hold us out and we had a few penalties, but they are a quality side and they showed that on the field.”

Erasmus was gracious in victory reflecting on the match when being quizzed about the physically his charges showed.

“Ireland were just as physical to keep us out with the tackles and turnovers they made inside the 22m area, so it was physical, but I don’t think they came off second best there,” said the Bok coach.

“If they scored in the last four minutes, then it would have been a restart and the game would have been on. It was definitely not a perfect performance, but there was a monkey on our backs that we had to get off.

“It also wasn’t about revenge as people have been asking all week. It was a case of trying to fix things. In the scrums were dominant, but not in every department, and we opted for that option because they were down to seven men.”

The Springboks will depart for Wales on Sunday for the final match on their November tour in Cardiff.

Issued by SA Rugby Communications

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