Rassie Erasmus has apologised for his expletive-laden media briefing following the Cape Town Test and praised Dave Rennie as a "gentleman" after the Springboks edged the All Blacks 29-24 at FNB Stadium in Soweto to take a 2-1 lead in the series, with the finale to be played in Baltimore.
"I really apologise for that last week – it was not well-mannered," Erasmus said post-match. "I don't want to swear again because I got into trouble last time."
The win was far from comfortable. The Springboks trailed 17-12 after a 56th-minute All Blacks try before pulling clear to 29-17, only to concede a consolation score in the red after the clock. The match ended four tries each, meaning South Africa have now been outscored on tries across all three Tests — 1-5 in Johannesburg, 3-4 in Cape Town, and 4-4 in Soweto.
Erasmus was candid about the All Blacks' attacking brilliance. "All of us envy the way they can handle the ball. None of us can say they don't keep the ball alive." He also acknowledged the role of fortune in his side's series lead. "We are not sitting here thinking we are flipping awesome; we are thinking there was also a lot of luck that went our way."
The Springboks were further tested by the first-half loss of Cheslin Kolbe to a broken jaw — his second injury blow of the series after Damian Willemse was taken off early in Cape Town — as well as a yellow card for Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu that left them temporarily a man down. Kolbe will not travel to the United States; Willemse, recovered from his Cape Town injury, is expected to return at fullback for the decider.
Ardie Savea also left the field for New Zealand, underlining Erasmus's description of "a fierce battle in all departments."
On the scrum, which produced a Springbok penalty try just before half-time, Erasmus played down suggestions of dominance and steered clear of revisiting last week's row with Rennie over alleged illegality. He instead offered an olive branch, describing the New Zealand coach as "a gentleman" and noting that both squads are now on the same flight to Baltimore.