Rassie issues stark warning ahead of third Test against All Blacks
by KickOff Rugby · KickOffRassie Erasmus warned that the Springboks would have to improve for the third Greatest Rivalry Test in Johannesburg on Saturday, despite their 33-26 victory over New Zealand to level the series at 1-1 in Cape Town.
The Boks were outscored four tries to three, but a flawless kicking performance from Cheslin Kolbe, with four penalty goals to add to the three conversions of tries by Jesse Kriel, Damian de Allende and Siya Kolisi, clinched a hard-fought victory.
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“They are a brilliant team, and there are definitely things we must fix,” said Erasmus.
“I don’t want to be technical about the edge defence, but they have really smart players, and they are two classes up from what they were last year.
“The one thing we immediately agreed in the changing room is that this is a really good New Zealand team. This week we did a lot of things much better, and I can tell you now that this is not the same New Zealand team we played last year.
“They attacked with width, they got offloads away, they’re really well coached and they’ve got athletes who can beat you on a dime. A couple of more phases at the end and it could have been a draw.”
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Saturday’s Test at FNB Stadium kicks off at 17:10.