Rassie Erasmus delivered an emotional tribute to supporters back home after the Springboks sealed the inaugural Greatest Rivalry series with a 43-28 victory over New Zealand in Baltimore. Speaking before a record US crowd of 68,173, the head coach acknowledged the team's methods might annoy rivals but insisted making South Africans happy remains the sole motivation for the world champions.
The Boks outscored the All Blacks by six tries to four to clinch the series 3-1, with Erasmus dedicating the triumph to people from all walks of life. "We appreciate the people who were here, but we don't forget the people who were at home. The people on the farm or the boy in the township or the people in the shopping mall. That's what drives us," Erasmus said.
The head coach was candid about the team's polarising approach. "I know we sometimes annoy other people around the world for the way we go about things, or the angle we take on issues, but we really care the most about South African people," he said. "There's only one reason for us as a team, and for us as a country, it's for South Africa."
Full circle from Washington
The Baltimore occasion marked a stark contrast to Erasmus' first visit to the United States in 2018, when just 21,357 spectators attended a defeat to Wales in Washington DC. "This makes up in a big way for that," Erasmus reflected on what he described as an "awful" first American outing. Six players from that loss featured in Baltimore, including Pieter-Steph du Toit, Jesse Kriel and Ox Nche.
Despite the emphatic scoreline, Erasmus was measured in his assessment. "I wouldn't say we were the better team. At 60 minutes, the game was still in the balance," he said. "The margin between us and New Zealand is very small."
Siya Kolisi echoed the caution, warning that complacency would allow rivals to close the gap. "We cannot be satisfied with staying the same," the captain said. "Because if we are, everyone is going to catch up with us." With successive Rugby Championship titles and back-to-back World Cup triumphs behind them, the Springboks remain acutely aware that maintaining their position at the summit demands constant evolution.