Rassie Erasmus has conceded that some Springboks managed the rigours of Test rugby "a bit better" in Saturday's 43-0 thrashing of Wales, a week after the side was given a significant scare by Scotland in Pretoria.
Since defeating England in their Nations Championship opener with a fully-loaded XV, Erasmus has rotated heavily for the second and third fixtures. The head coach was more satisfied with the performance at Kings Park, despite the visitors arriving from Argentina and contending with wet, heavy conditions that contributed to handling errors from both sides.
Defence and set-piece sharpen
"We saw world-class players make a few knock-ons," Erasmus said. "In this game you learn that our defence was better than last week, we worked really hard on that, and then our set-piece was really solid, but then there was a lot of handling errors."
The scrum, which had not reached its usual standard against England and Scotland, returned to form. The Springboks regularly forced the Welsh front-row into reverse, winning a succession of penalties that maintained pressure on Steve Tandy's side.
Erasmus added that the match provided valuable learning opportunities despite the one-sided scoreline. "Some guys handled the pressure of Test match rugby a little bit better than we did last week, but who's the better; Scotland or Wales? It's difficult to say how much we've learnt but it's a Test match and a lot of guys came through this Test match with tick marks."
Wiese brothers make history
The victory also marked a special occasion for Jasper and Cobus Wiese, who became the 37th pair of siblings to represent the Springboks. Jasper opened the scoring with a fifth-minute try and finished with 10 carries and nine tackles, while Cobus made two line breaks and played a key role in creating Jaco Williams' try before departing in the 47th minute.
Captain Pieter-Steph du Toit, who has previously shared the field with his own brother Johan, described the moment as an unbelievable privilege. "For brothers to both play for the Springboks is a huge honour. Their parents must be extremely proud of them, and they're proud of each other."
The Springboks' rotation strategy continues to dominate the narrative as Erasmus balances squad development with the demands of the Nations Championship. The improved defensive structure and set-piece dominance in Durban suggest the experimentation is yielding results, even if cohesion in attack remains a work in progress.