Share

Rassie: Plans for Australia, NZ 'out the window'

Cape Town - Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus says that plans to try new players and combinations in Australia and New Zealand have gone "out the window".

The Boks play Australia in Brisbane on September 8 before taking on the All Blacks in Wellington the following weekend. '

The plan, Erasmus said after Saturday's shocking 32-19 loss to Argentina in Mendoza, was to use that Australasian tour to experiment somewhat as plans for the 2019 World Cup continue. 

But, after the loss in Mendoza, Erasmus must now reconsider.

"The frustrating thing is that we had a specific plan for Australia and New Zealand and that's out the window now," Erasmus explained after slamming his side's performance

"We have to win at all costs now. We thought if we win this one we could make a few changes and test a few players, which people don't always want to hear.

"Now it's totally different ... we have to go over there and win at all costs."

Erasmus was particularly disappointed in his side's inability to finish off opportunities, while he did not rule out the possibility of players losing their place in the side.

"Whatever the consequences are for this, if it's players getting dropped or we must look at ourselves, we can't play like this," he said.

"I don't have the answers right now. I thought we were in a great space. I know it's not the travelling ... in the second half we outplayed them, and we were the fresher team."

"We had so many opportunities and it looked like we thought we were playing club rugby and that we expected more to come. In Test rugby you must score those points.

"Nothing happened today that we didn't expect. We had a specific plan and we couldn't handle it. As coaches we must look at ourselves and we must find better plans. The players must execute the plans better."

This weekend sees the Rugby Championship break for a week.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should the Proteas pick Faf du Plessis for the T20 World Cup in West Indies and the United States in June?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Faf still has a lot to give ...
65% - 487 votes
No! It's time to move on ...
35% - 264 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE