Mike Greenaway
Wales are the whipping boys of world rugby but Rassie Erasmus has a personal reason to never underestimate the proud men from the valleys.
Erasmus was in the Springbok team that was invited (as reigning world champions) to play Wales in a match to commemorate the opening of the Millennium Stadium (now the Principality Stadium) in 1999.
That was the week when Rian Oberholzer – the CEO of SA Rugby, as he is now after a big break in between – travelled to Cardiff to address the team on the issue of transformation. In a highly-charged team meeting, he told Nick Mallett and the players that there would never again be an all-white Springbok team – Mallett had dropped the only black player, Breyton Paulse, for this match.
“There was a lot of stuff going on off the field and we nearly had player strikes,” Erasmus recalled, at his team announcement press conference yesterday.
“I will never forget their centre, Mark Taylor, running over me to score the try that earned them their first-ever victory over the Springboks. So, I will never disrespect Wales and this stadium, no matter the form they are in, because you never know when they can flick a switch and go from losers to winners.”
In truth, Wales have never been this bad in more than a century of international rugby. The record books have to be rewritten to show 11 defeats in a row. Erasmus, who had a running feud with embattled Warren Gatland during the British and Irish Lions series in South Africa in 2021, says he backs the New Zealander to turn the team around.
“Last year, we played Wales in a pre-World Cup game at Twickenham and I caught up with Warren. We spoke about the Lions series, and how coaching becomes lonely and cutthroat.
“We had bumped heads but when you chat to a fellow coach you understand how much you have in common and while you always want to be the winning coach, you don’t want to see another guy under the pump and getting heavy criticism, especially when the guy has such a good track record.
“Warren is a rugby man through and through and I hope he gets the respect he deserves.”
Erasmus says he recalls the pressure when he had lost four in a row near the start of his tenure.
“Sometimes it is a small thing that can suddenly make a huge impact. I look at their squad and I see some excellent players. Maybe they are one team talk away from someone saying something inspirational that makes them gel. You never know.”
BAlthough Erasmus showed his human side yesterday, he says the Boks will be as ruthless as possible in ensuring they finish the year with a clean sweep.
“We have a job to do. We represent South Africa. We are preparing for the Wales team that has given us some very tough times. Let’s not forget that in the six matches we have played Wales since 2018, they have beaten us four times and that will give them confidence.
“Their senior guys will be saying, ‘We have beaten the Boks before and we can do it again,’” Erasmus warned. “We find them similar to Argentina in the way they grind away at you and never go away.
“This is our last match of the year and we are determined to finish on a positive note,” he added. “That can only happen if we do not lose focus. I always warn our guys about how quickly things can change. In 2017, the Boks lost 57-0 to the All Blacks in Auckland and two weeks later, the All Blacks were lucky to beat the Boks 25-24 at Newlands.”
Springbok starting XV: 15 Aphelele Fassi 14 Cheslin Kolbe 13 Jesse Kriel 12 Damian de Allende 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse 10 Jordan Hendrikse 9 Jaden Hendrikse 8 Jasper Wiese 7 Elrigh Louw 6 Siya Kolisi (capt) 5 Franco Mostert 4 Jean Kleyn 3 Thomas du Toit 2 Johan Grobbelaar 1 Ox Nche; Replacements: 16 Malcolm Marx 17 Gerhard Steenekamp 18 Vincent Koch 19 Eben Etzebeth 20 RG Snyman 21 Cameron Hanekom 22 Cobus Reinach 23 Handré Pollard