Rassie Erasmus refused to indulge in triumphalism after the Springboks dismantled Italy 66-7 at the Allianz Stadium in Turin on Saturday, instead using his post-match briefing to emphasise the gulf between Saturday's performance and the standards required against France and Ireland.
The world champions delivered their most dominant first-half display since putting 47 points on Canada at the 2019 World Cup, with Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu orchestrating proceedings at fly-half and contributing 26 points through a flawless goal-kicking display. The maul functioned with brutal efficiency whilst the kick-chase execution left Italy scrambling, yet Erasmus was quick to contextualise the scoreline.
"It's almost impossible to put 80 minutes together at 100%," Erasmus said. "Obviously, we're not happy with the second half. We scored 45 points in the first half, and the final score was 66, so we got another 21 points in the second half. Italy are a proud team, and despite being 45 points down, they started running the ball from everywhere, while we also made some changes that we wanted to see, and with that one loses a bit of rhythm. But when you win 66–7, I don't think you can start nitpicking problems in the second half. It wasn't perfect, but it was proper."
The caveat arrived swiftly. "That said, we have to play much better than this if we want to be competitive against France and Ireland," Erasmus added, underlining the step-up in class awaiting his side at the Stade de France and beyond.
Late disruption fails to derail opening salvo
The victory came despite a late reshuffle when Salmaan Moerat withdrew during the warm-up with back spasms, forcing Lood de Jager into the starting XV and Franco Mostert onto the bench. Erasmus confirmed Moerat remains the only casualty from the match, with no further serious injuries reported.
"Salmaan had a little bit of a back spasm on Thursday, but we thought it would clear up," Erasmus said. "He looked good at the captain's practice, but unfortunately in the warm-up he got more back spasms, so hopefully it's not too serious."
The selection of a near-full-strength side for the opening tour fixture represented a statement of intent from Erasmus, who opted against fielding an experimental combination and saving his strongest personnel for more challenging assignments. That approach paid immediate dividends as the Springboks strengthened their position atop the Nations Championship southern conference, yet the coach's focus has already shifted to Paris.
With Feinberg-Mngomezulu's composure at fly-half and halfback partner Morné van den Berg enjoying a day to remember, the Springboks demonstrated depth in key positions. Whether that platform proves sufficient against France at the Stade de France will provide the sternest examination yet of Erasmus' evolving squad.