Rassie Erasmus is not taking Saturday's Barbarians match lightly, pointing specifically to Scott Robertson's involvement as a reason to expect genuine competition ahead of the Nations Championship opener against England in July.
Robertson, who was sacked as All Blacks head coach in January despite a 74 per cent win record, takes charge of the Barbarians alongside Felipe Contepomi. Erasmus noted that Robertson's winning percentage sits second or third among coaches when measured against South Africa's professional-era coaching history — with Erasmus himself the only one to edge him, at 75 per cent.
"They're great coaches, we all know they're great coaches," Erasmus said. "If you compare Razor's winning record with the South African coaches in the past, it would probably be second or third, so you see he's a great coach."
Erasmus acknowledged the structural limitations a Barbarians side faces — condensed preparation, no established defensive or set-piece systems — but drew on his own experience coaching the Baa-Baas against Argentina to argue that competitive intensity tends to override those constraints once players cross the whitewash.
"Those players will be hell of competitors and they will take it personally. One bad game where you do some stupid things and your reputation is gone, and none of those guys will do that. They're all proud enough and the coaches are awesome guys."
The Boks have named a heavily experienced squad for the fixture.