Rassie Erasmus impressed by Springboks’ resilience
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus admitted South Africa were far from their best against Argentina.
However, he praised his players for showing tremendous character during a hard-fought 17-10 victory.
The Springboks secured the win at Estadio José Amalfitani in Buenos Aires on Saturday.
The teams entered half-time level at 10-10 after a closely contested opening 40 minutes.
Neither side could establish control early in the second half.
Cameron Hanekom eventually broke Argentina’s resistance when he crashed over in the final quarter.
The Springboks then faced a frantic late assault from Los Pumas.
Argentina threw everything forward as they searched for a late equaliser.
South Africa held firm, and that resilience pleased Erasmus as much as the result.
“Our focus was simply on beating Argentina,” Erasmus said.
“It was a tough day, but the players showed tremendous character.”
Rassie Erasmus explains South Africa’s difficult performance
Erasmus expected South Africa to struggle for rhythm before the match.
Several players had recently returned from injury and lacked valuable game time.
The Springboks also left 15 players back in South Africa for the fixture.
Seven or eight players in Saturday’s match-day squad had played very little rugby recently.
Most had featured sparingly during the previous six or seven weeks.
That lack of preparation affected South Africa’s fluency throughout the contest.
“We looked leg-weary early on and gave up too much territory,” Erasmus explained.
The Springboks also made several errors during the opening stages.
Erasmus said the coaching staff expected those mistakes because of the squad’s limited preparation.
Argentina’s physical approach created another major challenge for the visitors.
The passionate Buenos Aires crowd also added to the pressure facing South Africa.
“It wasn’t pretty or perfect, but we are happy with the result,” Erasmus said.
“We had to grind it out, and that is exactly what we did.”
Springboks find strength through their defence
Although South Africa struggled to create attacking momentum, their defence remained a major positive.
Argentina scored only one try during the contest.
Erasmus highlighted an offload as the key moment behind Los Pumas’ try.
He also praised the Springboks’ discipline throughout the match.
“Our discipline was relatively good, but our attack is something we must improve,” he said.
Several players also needed to complete the full 80 minutes after returning from injury.
That challenge inevitably affected South Africa’s fluency.
However, Erasmus viewed their ability to finish the match as another important positive.
“The positive is that we got those players through the game,” he said.
That defensive resolve became crucial during the closing stages.
Argentina increased the pressure as the home crowd grew louder inside a bouncing stadium.
The Springboks refused to panic and defended their narrow advantage until the final whistle.
Rassie Erasmus praises Argentina’s fighting spirit
Erasmus also credited Argentina for making the contest such a demanding examination.
Los Pumas have established themselves among the strongest teams in international rugby.
Their physicality and determination regularly make them difficult opponents for any side.
Erasmus believes Argentina share a mentality similar to South Africa’s.
“They are a very proud rugby nation,” he said. “They have the same fight that we have back home, they are passionate, and they never stop.”
That relentless approach helped create another tense encounter between the two sides.
Erasmus never expected South Africa to win comfortably in Buenos Aires.
Instead, he anticipated another tight battle between two highly competitive teams.
“We always thought it would be a close match,” he said.
The final seven-point margin ultimately reflected the intensity of the contest.
Character matters most for Rassie Erasmus
For Erasmus, the biggest positive was not South Africa’s overall performance.
Instead, he focused on the character his players showed when the pressure increased.
“We are not happy with the performance itself,” he said.
“But we are happy with the character the players showed.”
South Africa entered the match with several players lacking recent game time.
Younger squad members also had to handle an intimidating atmosphere in Buenos Aires.
Those circumstances forced the Springboks to find another way to win.
“We are not saying we played well,” Erasmus added.
“However, we are very happy with how hard we ground this one out.”
The coach believes such matches can provide valuable lessons for future knockout rugby.
High-pressure matches often produce narrow margins and demand composure under extreme pressure.
“The lesson is that knockout-level rugby is always close,” Erasmus said.
“Even a draw would have taught us plenty about grinding out a result.”
Springboks turn attention towards New Zealand
The Springboks will return to South Africa in two groups on Sunday and Monday.
The squad will then regroup in Johannesburg before preparing for their next major challenge.
Attention now turns towards Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry against New Zealand.
South Africa will face the All Blacks knowing they must improve several areas of their game.
The victory in Buenos Aires provided confidence, but it also exposed areas requiring immediate attention.
The attack, in particular, will need greater accuracy and fluency.
However, the resilience shown against Argentina could prove equally important when the stakes rise.
The performance was not polished, but the Springboks found a way to win.
For Erasmus and his players, that character could become a valuable weapon in the battles ahead.
Scorers
Argentina:
Try: Benjamin Grondono
Conversion: Santiago Carreras
Penalty: Santiago Carreras
Springboks:
Tries: Edwill van der Merwe, Cameron Hanekom
Conversions: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Handré Pollard
Penalty goal: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu
