Rassie Erasmus and SA 'A' coach Mzwandile Stick both left Gqeberha on Saturday with wins but without illusions, acknowledging significant areas for improvement after the Springboks beat the Barbarians 80-31 and SA 'A' shut out Zimbabwe 40-0 at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
Erasmus pointed to discipline and defensive lapses as the principal concerns from the Boks' high-scoring victory. The Barbarians crossed for four or five well-worked tries and the Springboks conceded yellow cards, issues Erasmus wants eliminated before England arrive for the Nations Championship opener in a fortnight. He offered some mitigation — the Barbarians had only three training sessions together and proved difficult to analyse, and several Springbok combinations were rusty after six or seven months without a Test — but the expectation is clearly for a tighter display next time out.
A more pressing concern is the fitness of Franco Mostert, who was forced off with an ankle injury. Erasmus confirmed Mostert would undergo scans on Sunday and described himself as worried about the outcome.
Siya Kolisi, leading the side, was measured in his assessment. He acknowledged the squad executed much of what was planned but also departed from the gameplan at times, identifying moments where better control was available. A full review of the match footage was still to come.
Stick's feelings about the SA 'A' performance were similarly mixed despite the clean sheet. He noted the squad had barely played together before the match and credited Zimbabwe — who qualified for the 2027 Rugby World Cup — for playing direct, ball-in-hand rugby that posed genuine problems. Two first-half tries were disallowed, which Stick found frustrating, but he was encouraged by the side's composure under pressure and their ability to keep fighting for the shutout.
SA 'A' captain Vincent Tshituka reinforced the point about Zimbabwe's motivation, saying the opposition arrived determined to make a statement against world-class competition.