Rassie Erasmus has tempered the euphoria of South Africa's 3-1 series victory over the All Blacks, insisting the gap between the two sides remains narrow despite the Springboks claiming the inaugural Rugby's Greatest Rivalry title with a 43-28 win in Baltimore on Saturday.
The Boks outscored New Zealand six tries to four in front of a USA rugby record crowd of more than 68,000 — the majority of them expatriate South Africans — but Erasmus was measured in his assessment of the final Test. "I wouldn't say we were the better team today. 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."
New Zealand had won the series opener in Johannesburg before successive Springbok victories in Cape Town and Soweto set up the Baltimore decider.
Erasmus pointed to the supporters — both in Baltimore and at home — as the primary motivation for the squad. "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."
He also addressed South Africa's position at the top of the World Rugby rankings, acknowledging it generates friction. "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."
Kolisi echoed that sentiment and also reflected on a notable moment during the match when a referee audio problem caused an extended stoppage. "Because there was a long stoppage, we were still in the zone, but my goodness, in that moment you get to appreciate the crowd singing and enjoying the environment."
The captain also explained the post-match prayer shared by both teams. "We came together to thank each other. We go hard against each other, but we get along off the field. The way the New Zealanders came to our country and embraced our country — we came together to thank them for that."