RUGBY NEWS - Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus and captain Siya Kolisi praised the team’s scrum dominance during their 24-13 win over Ireland in Dublin on Saturday night.
The South Africans beat Ireland at home for the first time in 13 years, thanks largely to their set-piece strength.
They won all 16 of their scrums and secured six scrum penalties against a team normally strong in that department.
However, that advantage seldom showed on the scoreboard. Time and again, Ireland went on to win a turnover defending their try line despite four yellow cards and a red to lock James Ryan during the game.
Even when reduced to 12 men for a spell, they remained within two scores until the final minutes.
Springbok scrum wins the day
Still, Erasmus said the set-piece gamble paid off in the pressure it exerted.
“We could have probably taken three points, six points, nine points. But you know, when you have that kind of dominance and they lose a lock with a 20-minute red and then a concussion and one of the guys goes off, you have to roll the dice in those scrums,” the coach said.
“We didn’t score from that and that is why Ireland is such a great team. They man up. Maybe they weren’t great in the scrums but hell when they tackled and got the turnovers there…
“We by no means think we are all of a sudden perfect because if they scored in the last four minutes and then had a kick-off the match would be on. But the scrums… Daan deserves his salary,” Erasmus said of the scrum coach Daan Human.
The Springbok captain agreed with his coach, saying the Springboks made it hard for themselves in not capitalising on their numerical advantage, but they could be immensely proud of their scrum dominance.
It’s the first time for this group to get a win here, so it’s very important for us as a group,” Kolisi said.
“We worked really hard on it and we saw today that we could go hard on it and we did. Coach Daan will be very happy.”
Stellar year for the Springboks
Erasmus added the team had “left everything on the field” after a tough week that saw hearings for Lood de Jager and Franco Mostert after their red cards, and the uncertainty in training around that.
The Springboks take on Wales in Cardiff next Saturday in their final match of the year. They have won 12 of 14 matches this season, including the non-Test against the Barbarians.
They have only lost to the All Blacks and Wallabies during their triumphant Rugby Championship.
The Boks have beaten the Barbarians, Italy three times, Georgia, the Wallabies, the All Blacks, Argentina twice, Japan, France, and Ireland.
It has culminated in hooker Malcolm Marx receiving World Rugby’s Men’s 15s Player of the Year award.
Article: Caxton publication, The Citizen
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