After losing by fine margins to France in Paris on Friday night, Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus will expect his troops to react immediately against Ireland on Saturday, when they meet for their third Nations Championship clash in Dublin.
The Springboks suffered a narrow 21-19 defeat to France with a man down after Jasper Wiese was shown a red card for a dangerous tackle. The result could have been different but they squandered opportunities, especially the conversion miss by Mannie Libbok towards the end.
This was France’s second win over the Boks in 11 attempts and first win since 2005. Erasmus admitted the Frenchmen were the better team on the day and attributed the defeat to the missed opportunities.
“Both teams scored three tries, and I thought it was a great contest. France played really well and we didn’t, so I can’t find a lot of excuses,” Erasmus said after
the game.
“They took their opportunities when they got them and we didn’t. If you must look for a positive, it’s the effort, the grind and the fight back.
“After about 30 minutes, they didn’t score again and we scored even though we were down to 14 men for most of the game. The frustration is that the discipline cost us. To lose by two points or any number is terrible,” he added.
Despite the outcome of the match, the Boks showed a good fighting spirit and character in the second half. The rugby world champions also managed to score and dominated France even with a man down from the 20-minute red card.
- The Springboks lost 21-19 to France in Paris despite playing most of the match with 14 men after Jasper Wiese received a red card for a dangerous tackle.
- France secured their second win over the Springboks in 11 attempts and their first since 2005.
- Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus acknowledged France was the better team and blamed missed opportunities, including a late conversion miss by Mannie Libbok, for the defeat.
- Both teams scored three tries, and Erasmus praised the Springboks’ effort and fighting spirit despite being a player down for most of the game.
- The loss highlighted discipline issues as the red card and missed chances ultimately cost the Springboks the match by two points.
After losing by fine margins to France in Paris on Friday night, Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus will expect his troops to react immediately against Ireland on Saturday, when they meet for their third Nations Championship clash in Dublin.
The Springboks suffered a narrow 21-19 defeat to France with a man down after Jasper Wiese was shown a red card for a dangerous tackle. The result could have been different but they squandered opportunities, especially the conversion miss by Mannie Libbok towards the end.
This was France’s second win over the Boks in 11 attempts and first win since 2005. Erasmus admitted the Frenchmen were the better team on the day and attributed the defeat to the missed opportunities.
“Both teams scored three tries, and I thought it was a great contest. France played really well and we didn’t, so I can’t find a lot of excuses,” Erasmus said after
the game.
“They took their opportunities when they got them and we didn’t. If you must look for a positive, it’s the effort, the grind and the fight back.
“After about 30 minutes, they didn’t score again and we scored even though we were down to 14 men for most of the game. The frustration is that the discipline cost us. To lose by two points or any number is terrible,” he added.
Despite the outcome of the match, the Boks showed a good fighting spirit and character in the second half. The rugby world champions also managed to score and dominated France even with a man down from the 20-minute red card.
