Sacha has magic feel for the game, says Springbok coach Rassie ahead of clash with France

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus is delighted with his team’s 61-7 defeat of Japan at the weekend, but says the match was always a warm-up for this week’s monumental encounter with France in Paris.

The Boks scored eight tries and were awarded a penalty try in shutting out Eddie Jones’ side. While the game had the potential to be tricky, South Africa closed the Japanese down from the first whistle to the last.

“We have to give credit to the whole team,” said Erasmus. “Some of the players had not played for us in a while, such as Gerhard (Steenekamp), Franco (Mostert), Johan (Grobbelaar), Andre (Esterhuizen) at No 7, and Zachary (Porthen), who made his debut.

“And then if you look at a player like Sacha (Feinberg-Mngomezulu) – who scored two tries in the match – he played for us for the SA ‘A’ team three years ago, and he worked with the coaches on that tour.

“It was a wet game against a Japanese team that we’ve struggled to put away before, and he was physical for a No 10. He kicked well, tackled well, and he’s got the magic feel for the game. So, with him, Manie (Libbok) and Handre (Pollard), we are in a good position with flyhalves.

“Obviously, you can see Sacha is getting more comfortable in the position, but we face France next week and we also have Ireland lined up later on tour, so we always need to make a step up.”

Reflecting on the memory of South Africa’s defeat to Japan in Brighton during the 2015 Rugby World Cup, Erasmus said:

“We’ll never forget Brighton, and we’ve only beaten them three times. We struggled to put them away in the last two games, even in the 2019 World Cup quarter-final, and we know what a good coach Eddie (Jones) is, so I didn’t expect this score.

“For me, it was more about how the players entered the match with the respect and physicality they showed. It was not perfect, but I’m pleased with the intensity the players showed.”

The Boks now turn their attention to this week’s rematch of the epic 2023 World Cup quarter-final against France, which South Africa won by a single point.

“We know what it’s like to play France away from home. The passion, intensity, and atmosphere in which you play there are very different.

“I think we have sufficient depth, experience, and youth in the team, but it’s a totally different ball game going there.

“It’s a pressure cooker, and it gets to you. We beat them in the World Cup quarter-final, but we know how close that match was, so it’s a massive game. Then there’s Ireland ahead, as well as Italy and Wales.

“So, although we are building, we need to keep reminding one another about that. We knew what was coming at Eden Park against New Zealand, and we couldn’t pull it through, so we have to do some intelligent and physical stuff to pull it through next week.”