Rassie Erasmus was measured in victory after the Springboks claimed the inaugural Castle Double Malt Rugby's Greatest Rivalry title with a 43-28 win over New Zealand in Baltimore, completing a 3-1 series result in front of a USA rugby record crowd of more than 68,000.
Despite the Boks scoring six tries to four to seal the win, Erasmus was candid about the margins between the sides. "I wouldn't say we were the better team today," he said. "At 60 minutes the game was still in the balance. We appreciate that we won but the margin between us and New Zealand is very small."
The victory confirmed the Boks' world number one ranking, though Erasmus acknowledged that the team's approach does not always sit well globally. "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. There's only one reason for us as a team and for us as a country — it's for South Africa."
The Baltimore crowd was dominated by what appeared to be expatriate South Africans, a sight that clearly moved Erasmus. "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."
Kolisi echoed the sentiment, also reflecting on a lengthy stoppage caused by referee audio problems. "Because there was a long stoppage, we were still in the zone, but in that moment you get to appreciate the crowd singing and enjoying the environment."
After the final whistle, the two squads gathered for a moment of shared prayer. Kolisi explained: "We came together to thank each other. The way the New Zealanders came to our country and embraced it — we came together to thank them for that. It's tough that one team has to win and one team has to lose, but we know we are going to see each other again."