Erasmus praises Springboks' resilience after emotional win against New Zealand
Springbok captain Siya Kolisi holds up the Freedom Cup following the team's thrilling win in Wellington
Image: Facebook/Springboks
Springbok coach, Rassie Erasmus, said Saturday's win against the All Blacks was an emotional match for him.
Speaking following the Boks' 43-10 spectacle in Wellington, Erasmus acknowledged the passing of former Springbok fullback Bevin Fortuin earlier in the week.
IOL reported that the 46-year-old suffered a heart attack. At the time of his death, he had been working as coach of the Northam Rhinos Rugby Club, in Setaria, Limpopo.
"It was an emotional day. Bevin Fortuin died this week, a guy I played with and coached with, and after last week's loss, this is massive," Erasmus said.
He said the Boks had a lot of respect for their New Zealand counterparts.
Responding to a question that the South African national rugby team was a 'changed team' after the half-time break, Erasmus noted the number of injuries and replacements on the field and said the team had to "make some plans and the players really made those plans half-time."
Shrugging off a question about the team that played on Saturday versus the team that lost to the All Blacks last week, Erasmus said the Boks is made up of a strong 45 players.
"The guys you saw who played today, of course they put up their hands. But we have some solid guys who did not play today and we are very proud," he said.
Erasmus went on to thank the South Africans who showed up in their numbers donning green and gold to support the Boks.
Scorers:
New Zealand 10 (10) – Try: Leroy Carter. Conversion: Damian McKenzie. Penalty goal: McKenzie.
Springboks 43 (7) – Tries: Cheslin Kolbe (2), Damian Willemse, Kwagga Smith, RG Snyman, Andre Esterhuizen. Conversions: Manie Libbok (5). Penalty goal: Libbok.
IOL