Duane: Springboks knew what needed to be done
Yet despite their dramatic late heroics, coach Rassie Erasmus still believe they were a tad lucky against the All Blacks.
Duane Vermeulen of the Springboks tackles Codie Taylor of the All Blacks during the 2019 Rugby Championship Test Match between New Zealand and South Africa at Westpac Stadium on July 27, 2019 in Wellington, New Zealand. (Photo by Mark Tantrum/Getty Images)
While the Springboks surprised all and sundry with a last gasp try that secured a dramatic 16-all draw with the All Blacks on Saturday, stand-in skipper Duane Vermeulen clearly wasn’t.
South Africa’s match prospects seemed on death row after home flyhalf Richie Mo’unga slotted a penalty with five minutes left on the clock, ensuring a seven-point buffer.
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To rub salt into the wound, referee Nic Berry missed a clear knock-on just before blowing for the infringement.
But Vermeulen had full faith in his troops to launch one last effort.
“You know, we have a mature group of players,” said the evergreen No 8.
“With five minutes to go, I think everyone knows exactly what they should be doing and what needed to be done. Everyone is aligned with the overall strategy and that makes it really easy to lead.”
As a result, Vermeulen – who admitted earlier in the week that he’s not a captain that’s big on words – didn’t need to say much in the final huddle.
“You just get the guys together and various guys lay out what we’re going to do. Then we follow through with it.”
That determination was evident in the crucial final scrum, where the impressive replacement front row of Beast Mtawarira, Bongi Mbonambi and Trevor Nyakane forced a penalty and Cheslin Kolbe found space on the blindside to set up Herschel Jantjies’ try.
Coach Rassie Erasmus, however, was a bit more sombre about the eventual result, which means the Boks haven’t lost in New Zealand since 2017.
“To play the No 1 team in the world and be lucky at the end there, it was almost like last year,” he said.
“Right at the end we could have lost it and we managed to draw the game, and Handré could have missed that last kick so we could have lost that game.
“To come away with a draw, I guess we’re satisfied with that. The first 35 minutes we played very well while they totally dominated the second half. So fairly lucky, in a big way.”
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