South Africa have a poor Test record in Brisbane but Rassie Erasmus insists that this team is built to make history not to be dictated to by it.
Rassie Erasmus believes that history will be academic when the Springboks face Australia in Brisbane on Saturday.
The Springboks start their Rugby Championship with back-to-back Tests against the Wallabies.
They will get another bite at the Wallabies in Perth on 17 August.
RASSIE ERASMUS DECLARES HISTORY WON’T BE A FACTOR IN BRISBANE
However, Erasmus feels his team are well prepared for the opener in Brisbane.
“This is a new year and new campaign, and a lot has changed for both teams in the last few years, so while we are mindful of that statistic, it won’t affect how we approach this match or next week’s encounter in Perth,” Erasmus said.
“Just as winning the Rugby World Cup is history now, so is that statistic, so as a team we want to go out there and give our best, and if we stick to our structures and capitalise on our chances, hopefully we’ll work ourselves into a good position to get the desired result.”
Erasmus said that it would be vital for the Springboks to start the campaign well as they chase a first win in a six round Rugby Championship.
“We have a challenging campaign with two away games against Australia and then two Tests against New Zealand at home before making a short trip to Santiago where we will face Argentina, and then we wrap up the tournament against Los Pumas in Nelspruit, so it will be vital for us to start well and build good momentum,” Erasmus added.
RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP WILL BE A CHANGE OF PACE
Erasmus expects a change of pace and a new challenge to be posed in the Rugby Championship.
“We only face the Southern Hemisphere teams in the Castle Lager Rugby Championship now, so we know they’ll pose a completely different challenge to the sides we’ve faced to date,” said Erasmus when he named his team.
“They are also playing on their home turf where they have a good track record against us in the last few years, so we know it’s going to be a massive challenge.
“The fact that they are facing the world champions at home and knowing full well that they are hosting the 2027 World Cup will also inspire them, while we also have no doubt that they are desperate to climb the world rankings.
“They are a well-coached team with good playmakers, so they’ll definitely be charged up for Saturday’s match-up.”
CAN RASSIE ERASMUS MASTERMIND A WIN OVER AUSTRALIA?
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‘Erasmus was probably trying to initiate the narrative’ – Doris hails how Farrell dealt with noise from Springbok camp
Ireland number eight Caelan Doris admits it was difficult to escape the noise from the Springboks’ camp during last month’s two-test tour in South Africa but hailed the manner in which head coach Andy Farrell dealt with it.
In the build up to the series against the back-to-back World Champions, some mind games surfaced from the South African camp which included Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus posting his predicted Irish matchday squad on social media, before further quips followed in some pre-match press conferences.
Irish boss Farrell didn’t allow himself get dragged into a back and forth however, although he did say “it’s hilarious! It’s brilliant,” when asked about Erasmus’ use of social media in the lead up to the two games.
Following the series draw, after Ireland came back from a seven-point opening defeat to beat the Springboks 25-24 in the second test, 26-year-old Doris hailed his Irish boss for how he and the camp dealt with the noise and focused on themselves.
“Generally, lads don’t really look externally in terms of reading stuff, or looking at what other teams are saying. Sometimes you might not be able to avoid it through Whatsapp or social media, but generally I think the lads try to avoid it, keep things internal and listen to our messages,” said Doris, ambassador for Ohk Energy.
“Given how much of it (noise) there was, I think lads were aware that it was there. But generally, he (Erasmus) was probably trying to initiate the narrative, trying to let it bother us, or let us get into a bit of a back and forth. The way Faz (Farrell) dealt with it was definitely the best way to go about it.
“We have had some great tests against them. When you are playing against South Africa it’s always extremely physical and you know you need to match, or go beyond them physically if you want to win the game.
“They are very set-piece oriented in terms of their scrum and maul, you have to deal with their ball carriers coming around the corner and running really hard and direct.
“They have big men so they hit hard too, so from our view in attack you have to be nailed on in terms of your shape and having multiple options off the line to try and create a little bit of doubt so they can’t just run up and whack you. It’s always a challenge. There is good respect amongst both teams for each other, from the games and how tight they have been.”
Last month’s series marked the end of a long, gruelling season for Doris, as at club level, his Leinster side fell to a third successive Champions Cup final defeat to Toulouse last May, while Leo Cullen’s men also exited the URC at the semi-final stage a month later courtesy of a five-point defeat to the Bulls.
“Obviously it was a heartbreaking end to the Leinster season. You have to give yourself a few days to process that, try and take the learnings and move on, but then you have the excitement of playing the back-to-back World Champions in South Africa, which is a pretty special one and very easy to get up for,” added the Ballina native.
“It helps turn the page and there was a massive desire to try and get a win over there to end the season.
“It’s tricky (dealing with losing another final), but as James Ryan said after the defeat to Toulouse in London, you would definitely rather be in those latter stages of the cup each year, competing against the best teams and being right up there in contention, as opposed to not making the knockouts.
“You want to be putting yourself in contention to lift the trophy and obviously we have not over the last couple of years, but we have been knocking on the door. There is still belief there that we are going to do it. Through the quality we have, the coaches we have, if we keep knocking on the door, it will come right for us eventually. Hopefully when it does happen, it will feel very good.”
