Rassie: it’s all mental now
ERASMUS: A CASE OF HAVING TO CONCENTRATE FOR THE FULL 80 MINUTES
Bok coach is not entirely happy with the team’s approach.
South Africa are more than capable of winning the World Cup, but they will need to take a step up with their approach, according to Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus.
The best four teams have qualified for the semifinals, as was mirrored by the latest World Rugby rankings released yesterday, with New Zealand still on top, followed by England and Wales.
The Boks, who will meet the Welsh side in the last four on Sunday, are now fourth in the rankings.
After battling past Japan in their quarterfinal on Sunday, Erasmus believes their biggest challenge could now be the mental battle they faced.
“There were three or four minutes against Japan when we almost got caught out,” Erasmus said.
“So I’d say we don’t have to improve that much in specific departments such as scrumming, mauling, lineouts or the breakdown,” he said.
The Boks are not too concerned that they haven’t beaten Wales since 2015, Erasmus insisted, and they were more focused on staying in the zone for the entire match, which he felt they had failed to do in their opening loss to New Zealand earlier in the tournament.
“It’s more a case of having to concentrate for the full 80 minutes, and that’s where we need to improve if we want to try and win the World Cup,” he said.
While the Boks suffocated Japan with their defence and set-pieces in their 26-3 victory, Erasmus said there were moments when they could have and should have scored more points.
“We must find those pressure points, and when we get the opportunities we must utilise them and not give away soft moments.
“That’s when we will have a real chance and be consistent. I think that’s the biggest thing for us to work on.”
With the Boks enjoying a rest day yesterday, an update on the ankle injury of wing Cheslin Kolbe and the calf injury of hooker Bongi Mbonambi could be expected today.
Ironically, two of the most criticised players – scrumhalf Faf de Klerk and centre Damian de Allende – were the biggest stars against Japan, along with lock Lood de Jager, while the erratic form of Willie le Roux remains a headache.
Erasmus, however, believes he has identified his strongest starting team and is likely to stick to his guns.
“I think we have the pack and I think we have the backline players to go all the way,” Erasmus said.
“But I think in a game which is 80 minutes and 40 minutes ballin-play, if you have four or five minutes of ball in play where you drop your concentration, you get found out.”