A heavily rotated Springbok side ground out a 42-28 victory over Scotland at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday, surviving a series of Scottish counter-punches to claim their second Nations Championship win in as many weeks.

The result, achieved with 10 changes from the side that dismantled England 45-21 the previous Saturday, keeps South Africa top of the Southern Hemisphere conference on points difference from New Zealand, both teams sitting on a maximum 10 log points.

The Boks twice built commanding leads only to see Scotland claw back within range. Two tries in two first-half minutes gave them a 14-0 cushion, but Scotland levelled at 14-14 by the break. A devastating eight-minute burst early in the second half stretched the lead to 35-14, before Scotland again responded — the final margin of 42-28 (six tries to four) flattering neither side in terms of defensive solidity.

Erasmus was unapologetic about the selection gamble, pointing to a squad in which 12 players carried fewer than 10 caps. "We had 12 guys who each had less than 10 caps — half the team — so we knew cohesion was going to be a problem," he said. "We learned a lot about some players — not that they are not good enough — but that there's a lot of work to be done."

He drew a direct parallel with the difficult rebuilding phase of his first tenure: "There was a stage in 2018 when we were learning but we were losing — but it was important to find out who can do it at this level and who needs some work. It's much nicer when you win and you learn than when you lose and you learn."

Erasmus acknowledged that the Loftus crowd grew restless as Scotland repeatedly threatened, but argued that discomfort was precisely the environment the fringe players needed. "For those guys to feel the crowd going quiet when it's not going so well — that's the only way we can ever learn," he said. "This is the test that some of the guys needed — not against a tier two nation, but against a tier one nation that's a really class team."

He was also candid about the stakes he was willing to accept. "Sometimes we must put our personal goals to one side — how many games you've won in a row, or even putting winning this championship on the line — so that you can know who can do what. If you don't make those calls you would never know."

On Scotland's quality, Erasmus was emphatic: "We thought they were going to be tougher than England. The way they smashed Argentina, the way they beat England, the way they beat France — we knew it was going to be a really tough game."

The Boks now travel to Hollywoodbets Kings Park to face Wales next Saturday to complete the July leg of the Nations Championship.