Rassie Erasmus heaped praise on Scotland after the Springboks edged a 10-try Nations Championship contest 42-28 at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday, declaring the visitors the third-best side in the world.
Handling his record 55th match as Springbok head coach, Erasmus pointed to Scotland's recent Six Nations scalps over Argentina, England and France as evidence of their standing, while acknowledging his own team's disjointed performance.
"They are a great team and we had 13 guys with less than 10 caps and another four with less than 20," Erasmus said. "They are not settled test players, but they are guys who needed tier-one opposition. That is how you find out if they can handle the pressure."
Jesse Kriel sealed the result with a try in the 78th minute, though Erasmus was candid about the soft tries his side conceded and the work still required from the younger members of the squad. "This game could have gone against us. Now we know that some guys need a lot of work. To win and learn is great."
Scotland captain Sione Tuipulotu was measured in his assessment, citing resilience after twice pulling back from significant deficits — 14-0 down early and 21 points adrift later in the match — but acknowledged execution cost his side dearly. "We created lots of problems for their defence, we got line breaks and beat defenders, but they scrambled well. Capitalising on the scoreboard is what is important."
South Africa face Wales in Durban next Saturday, while Scotland host Fiji in Edinburgh.