South Africa coach Rassie Erasmus rejects excuses after a chaotic Test in Perth and says the Bok players alone are responsible for letting Australia win 42-38 — despite technical problems and late fightback.
Erasmus says the Springboks were responsible for the 42-38 loss in Perth and will not blame external factors.
Technical issues during the match (faulty stadium clock and referee-TMO comms problems) occurred but were dismissed by Erasmus as having no influence on the result.
South Africa trailed 24-17 at half-time and fell to 42-17 after 63 minutes before a late rally closed the gap to four points.
Match result and immediate reaction
South Africa lost 42-38 to Australia in Perth. Head coach Rassie Erasmus said plainly: "It's sh*t to lose for us, we don't enjoy it." He told media the team "have nobody else to blame but ourselves for the result." The Boks trailed 24-17 at half-time and were 42-17 down after 63 minutes. A late comeback brought the score to 42-38, but it was not enough.
The Test featured several technical disruptions — a stadium clock that failed to stop properly and problems with the referee's communications with the TMO. Erasmus acknowledged the failures but rejected them as reasons for the loss: "I know the technology failed a bit... but that didn't influence how we played. We controlled that." He said the team "didn't play well enough tonight to beat a stronger team."
Selection, combinations and responsibility
Erasmus noted Australia's improvement under coach Les Kiss and the advantage of the Wallabies playing at home. He framed the match as a useful reference if the teams meet at the World Cup: "Australia are a good team and they've definitely improved a lot... We might meet them in a vital playoff game, and it was nice to get a taste of them tonight." He stopped short of calling the defeat strictly a lesson but called it "a valuable experience."
A separate comment in the match coverage pointed to discipline as a factor, summarised as "Lack of discipline cost us." Erasmus accepted that the better team won on the night and that the Boks "didn't play well enough." The late rally showed resilience but could not erase the deficit built earlier.
Erasmus' public stance is to own the defeat: selection choices, execution and in-game performance are the Springboks' responsibility. The match highlighted Australia's upward trajectory and gave South Africa a live benchmark before upcoming competitions. For supporters, the loss reduces the immediate satisfaction of recent results and raises questions about squad combinations and discipline going into future Tests.
Rassie Erasmus refused to reach for excuses or a gruelling Rugby Championship schedule after South Africa's dramatic 42-38 defeat to Australia in Perth.
It might not be humiliating, but it would certainly be embarrassing for South Africa to lose to lowly Australia again.
Dan Carter wanted the All Blacks to win all four Tests of the inaugural Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry after the Springboks claimed bragging rights with a 3-1 victory. The post The GOAT: Losing the series hurts appeared first on SA Rugby magazine .
Rassie Erasmus has highlighted the Springboks’ previous experience of playing the All Blacks on neutral ground and their determination to play for the fans back home. The post Rassie: We’ll really miss our home support appeared first on SA Rugby magazine .
Ewen McKenzie hailed Springbok scrumhalf Morné van den Berg’s performance in the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series decider, providing depth at halfback for Rassie Erasmus. The post Rassie gets a rap for Krappie selection appeared first on SA Rugby magazine .
Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus has played his cards to the best of his ability, but he can't hide it anymore.
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