Rassie Erasmus acknowledged the Springboks were far from their best in Buenos Aires on Saturday but took satisfaction in the character his squad showed to secure a 17-10 Rugby Championship victory over Argentina at Estadio José Amalfitani.
The teams were level at 10-10 at half-time before Cameron Hanekom's try in the fourth quarter proved the decisive score. Argentina pushed hard in the closing minutes but the Boks held firm.
Erasmus was candid about the reasons for the disjointed display. Seven or eight players returning from injury had had minimal game time over the previous six to seven weeks, and 15 players remained in South Africa. "We looked leg-weary early on, gave up a lot of territory, and made errors which we knew were likely," he said. "Getting them through 80 minutes was always going to affect our fluency. The positive is that we got them through the game."
Defensively, Erasmus felt the Boks largely held their shape, conceding only one try — from an offload he believes should have been cut out. Attack, he admitted, is the area that needs attention. "Our discipline was also relatively good, but what we need to sort out is our attack."
Erasmus was fulsome in his praise of Los Pumas: "They are a very proud rugby nation. They've got that same fight in them that we have back home. They never stop." He added that winning the physical battle was the key result for him on the day.
Kolisi left the field in the first half with a hamstring injury but echoed Erasmus's respect for the hosts. "We could easily have lost this game. Home or away, they're one of the toughest teams we play all year," he said.
Erasmus framed the win as a valuable pressure test ahead of the Rugby World Cup cycle: "Knockout-level rugby is always close. For us to stay calm through that, even without playing our best rugby, tells me we're handling pressure a little better than before."