INTERNATIONAL RUGBY
‘We cannot perform like that in a Springbok jersey’
Slow starts in matches have characterised Erasmus’s Bok reign
In June‚ Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus cautioned against overoptimism after his side beat England 2-1 in a home series — but he could not have imagined such a humbling dousing of his team’s progress just two months later. The Boks’ 32-19 loss to Argentina in Mendoza exposed their many weaknesses‚ including SA’s inability to win away from home. Since the 2015 World Cup‚ the Boks have won just three of 15 away games and their next two fixtures are in Brisbane and Wellington against Australia and New Zealand. Slow starts in matches have characterised Erasmus’s Bok reign. While his team overturned large early deficits against England in the first and second Tests‚ and also against the Pumas in Durban last week‚ there was no way out of the 27-7 half-time hole in which they found themselves in Mendoza on Saturday. Australian referee Angus Gardner may have ignored Puma offside infringements and he may have been casual in his handling of the breakdown‚ but the Boks failed to adapt to the o...
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