After a thrilling match against France, Rassie Erasmus anticipates one thing to be very different when the Springboks take on England.
Rassie Erasmus at a training session with the Springboks. image from AFP
The Springboks defeated France in the World Cup quarterfinals on Sunday with a performance that will go down in history, but the focus is already on their semi-final matchup against England, which will present a different kind of pressure given that they are the clear favorites going into it.
Argentina and New Zealand will play in the first semi-final on Friday night, and the 2019 Rugby World Cup finalists will encounter one other at the Stade de France on Saturday at 21h00.
Erasmus highlighted his conviction that there wouldn’t be as many tries and stated that it would be especially crucial to execute the game’s principles perfectly at this point in the competition.
“If you look at England and South Africa statistically, they are very close in terms of the number of tries scored and conceded, and in terms of defence.
“To be honest, I was quite surprised so many tries were s
Based on statistical analysis, England and South Africa are nearly equal when it comes to both scoring and giving up tries, as well as their defensive play.
“To be honest, I was a little taken aback by how many tries were scored in the quarterfinals, but the key components of the game will become increasingly crucial as we approach the championship.”
Erasmus was happy that the Springboks had balanced the players’ training and playing loads, and he anticipated that the England team would be equally rested.
cored in the quarter-finals, but as we get closer to the final, the fundamental areas of the game will become more important.”
Erasmus was pleased with the way the Springboks had managed to balance the training and playing load of the players, and he expected a similarly rested England squad.
“We’ve spread the load with player minutes. We know this is definitely going to be a close match, but we are in a fortunate situation in that all 33 players are not showing injuries and should be available for selection.”
RASSIE ERASMUS HIGHLIGHTED ANOTHER KEY FACTOR
Erasmus said they would be pushed not just in terms of fitness but also in other areas now that Aled Walters, the strength and conditioning coach of the Springboks who won the 2019 RWC, is in the England camp.
“We are aware of the level of fitness that Aled will demand of them, and some of our players are England Premier League players, but Steve Borthwick, the England head coach, is a great coach above and beyond that,” Erasmus expressed.
It’s going to be a very challenging challenge against a squad that hasn’t dropped a game, so we’ll train and get ready as hard as we can this week. We are therefore aware of what to expect.
KOLISI shows Kriel a lot of love—MUST WATCH!
FRANCE RESULT BEHIND THEM
Reflecting on the Boks’ 29-28 victory in the quarterfinal, Erasmus described it as a true rugby Test.
“The team and coaches would have been as happy as we are,” Erasmus remarked in the event that the French had triumphed.
And just as much as we did, they would have earned it. We pushed each other to the very end, both physically and tactically. I also have to thank the French coach, Fabio Galthie, for showing us respect following the game. He had integrity and was modest.
Tuesday will see the Springboks return to the training field after taking Monday off to rest and relocate hotels in Paris.
