Boks turn attention to the All Blacks: ‘It’s a step up,’ says boss Rassie

Now for the All Blacks!

Rassie Erasmus and his Springbok team have already turned their attention to the two home games coming up against arguably their biggest rivals, the All Blacks, in Joburg and Cape Town in the coming weeks.

This after the Boks beat the Wallabies 30-12 in Perth on Saturday for a bonus-point win, to go with their equally good showing the week before in Brisbane, when they won 33-7.

The Boks are top of the Rugby Championship table with a perfect 10-point haul.

Erasmus says his side will face a much tougher opponent in Scott Robertson’s New Zealand than was the case in the last two weeks when the Boks faced an Australian team in transition under new boss Joe Schmidt.

‘Tougher challenge’

“Getting 10 log points here in Australia is great, but we know it’s another step up next time we play,” said Erasmus, referring to the Tests on August 31 in Joburg and September 7 in Cape Town.

“It’s a step up (from facing the Wallabies) only because Joe is new in the job with the Australians and they’re still finding their feet, and it takes time.

“But yes, it will be a much tougher challenge (against the All Blacks), meaning no disrespect to Australia.
“Just when the All Blacks get written off (like they were after their first Test defeat to Argentina in Wellington) they come back and show people what they can do. They scored a lot of points in the second Test (winning 42-10 in Auckland). We’ve got a tough three weeks ahead of us.”

‘Super excited’

Seasoned wing Cheslin Kolbe agreed with his coach things will be different in the coming weeks, but he added the Boks could not have wished for a better start to their Rugby Championship campaign.

“We’re definitely super excited to have started the Rugby Champs like this, winning two in a row over here,” said Kolbe after Saturday’s win in Perth. “We’re in a good position now, have a good base for the rest of the competition.

“The fact all the players in the group also got an opportunity is nice; it’s a special group, and there’s a lot more to come from us, as everyone’s willing to do their best for the jersey and the team.

“But we have to keep our feet on the ground and not become complacent. The New Zealand Tests are going to be massive. They’re our big rivals and we need to continue to work hard, but there’s lots of excitement in the squad.”