Rassie Erasmus praises Springbok debutants but ‘things to work on’ after Wales showing.

It was a case of “goal achieved” for the Springboks according to their head coach, Rassie Erasmus, after they kicked off their 2024 campaign with a 41-13 victory over Wales at Twickenham on Saturday.

The match was evenly poised at half-time as the Boks held a slender 14-13 lead but a strong second-half performance from the world champions paved the way to victory.

Erasmus admitted that his team can still improve ahead of their upcoming Tests against Ireland and Portugal in July but is happy that they got a positive result against Wales.

‘It was a good start’

“It wasn’t a perfect performance,” he said. “We made a few errors and there were things that didn’t click, but there were others that did, so it was a good start.

“We have new coaches and had a few players making their debuts, so there were areas of the game that were not as good as we would have liked it to be, but there was certainly no lack of effort and intensity, and we realise it will take time for things together nicely.

“The important thing is that we achieved our goal and the players who made their debuts showed that they are capable at playing at this level.”

Regarding his team’s performance, Erasmus said: “It was a tough match as it always is against Wales. I thought our scrums went well, but we didn’t dominate the collisions.

“We also conceded a try, but we scored five and we could have scored a more, but those are things we need to work on going forward.”

Erasmus added: “It was a beneficial game for us because some players were not eligible for selection and a guy like Jasper Wiese is still out (on suspension), while some of the Japanese players haven’t played in a while. But the young guys stepped up to the plate and played really well.”

Meanwhile, Springboks skipper Pieter-Steph du Toit was also happy that the Boks secured the victory and said it was an honour to lead the team.

‘Felt like a home game’

“It was awesome to play at Twickenham, and with all the fans here, it almost felt like a home game,” said Du Toit.

“I was a little stressed before the match, because one has to consider how you are feeling as well as the rest of the team, but I feel we achieved a lot in this match.”

Erasmus said the medical team would assess the bumps and bruises suffered in the match before flying to South Africa on Sunday night, as well as the injuries in the Bulls camp following their United Rugby Championship final defeat to Glasgow Warriors before finalising their squad for the Tests against Ireland and Portugal.