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Victorious Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus believes there was a clear turning point in Baltimore, where his side got the better of All black people.
M&T Bank Stadium was packed for the fourth Test of rugby’s biggest rivalry, where the world number one Springboks beat the All Blacks 43-28.
That turning point would be the play of exciting Springboks winger Kurt-Lee Arendse, who impressed with ball in hand during the second half in Baltimore.
Arendse made several breaks for the Springboks, often forcing All Blacks defenders to face their dead ball line.
At Erasmus’ press conference after the match, he explained where the turning point was.
“Yeah, I think Kurt Lee (changed the game). I think Kurt Lee started turning guys on, because Kurt Lee himself admitted that he was going through a mental and physical decline, and he had concussions and stuff.
“I thought when he scored that try, I thought it was key.
“I thought the game was absolutely anybody’s game. Sometimes a guy like Cheslin Kolbe could change it, and today the team did that. But I especially thought it was Kurt Lee.”
When asked about the evolution of the Springboks under Erasmus and the role coaching stability has played in helping the team, inspirational Springboks captain Siya Kolisi detailed where it all began.
“Coach (Erasmus) came and he had a plan to change things further. I think our mentality at that time was not in a good place, and he reminded us how important this team is, how powerful it is and what we have done in the past,” said the captain.
“But individuals make a team work. He made a group of South Africans from different walks of life, all focused on one. We all came with our own different goals. We all wanted to achieve different things, and in our team we speak 11 languages. Our main focus was to make the Springboks proud and people South Africa proud.
“And he (Erasmus) was honest and open with his coaching staff about how he was going forward and how we were going to do it, and he supported us, believed in us, fought for us and that’s what made us play for him.
“We try to improve and be better, and we work on our own internal standards in the group, so that we can continue to improve because we can’t be satisfied and stay the same. Because then everyone will catch up with us.”
Going to the United States for the game has been a hot topic among fans and pundits, but Kolisi hopes it will happen more often.
“Just the environment, what they saw today, and the passion of the people of South Africa New Zealand the fans that were here and just the way we played and the values and the respect we have for each other as a team,” Kolisi said in the post-match press conference.
“And I also think it’s a game that Americans would really enjoy. They like physical sports. So I really think the more teams that come and play here, the more people get invested in rugby teams.”
The Springboks leader also added that before Rugby World Cup 2031, hopefully the women’s game would grow in the United States,
“I think it’s going to get better. Hopefully it grows, and so does the women’s game. It’s going to help the rest of us grow. So hopefully we’ll grow the women’s game more and then the men’s game more here in America.”
