Rassie Erasmus arrived after the lows of 2016 and 2017 to give the Springboks their meds … turns out there was nothing wrong with their bodies, it was all in their heads.
Rassie Erasmus, the Springboks director of rugby, acting as a water carrier, talks to his team during the Lions series. Picture: David Rogers/Getty Images
The bitter losers up north have been complaining non-stop about the “boring” style of play of the Springboks, forgetting that it was the Lions who set the tone for the series when they dominated the second half of the first Test through their kicking game and driving maul. Gatland denies doing this, but how did multiple British journalists have the same story? There is no doubt it was a calculated strategy to put pressure on the TMO, and Erasmus responded in kind a week later.Rugby at that level is often brutal and the mind-games and off-the-field tactics are not for the fainthearted either.
The players loved De Villiers for that and it was one of the prime examples of what a good man-manager he was. Erasmus did the same ahead of the crucial second Test, allowing the Springboks to produce one of their greatest second-half displays.From the high point of 2009, when the Springboks also won the Tri-Nations Championship, their fortunes began to drop off, culminating in their nightmare years of 2016 and 2017.
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