Rassie Erasmus agreed Dave Rennie’s All Blacks are much improved, but the Springbok boss has reminded his rivals of the pressure they’re now under after Saturday’s result, reports DEVIN HERMANUS.
South Africa slipped to No 2 in the world rankings after losing at Ellis Park last week, before Saturday’s 33-26 win in Cape Town restored Erasmus’ men to the summit and handed New Zealand their first defeat of 2026.
It also ended Dave Rennie’s eight-match unbeaten run since taking charge of the Kiwis this year.
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“You lose and you go to No 2 in the world, and then next weekend you play against the No 1 team in the world,” said Erasmus, whose men now head to Soweto for next Saturday’s third Test in the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry at FNB Stadium.
“I 100% understand the pressure and why people were upset, because who wants to support a losing team? Nobody in South Africa is supporting anything that’s not working.
“Of course I felt the pressure. The players will tell you I felt the pressure. I was nervous.
“Dave’s experienced, he will get the team calm and he’ll do it now with his first loss. They’ll be under pressure. He’ll feel what we felt last week,” the Bok coach added.
“We must make sure we’re not comfortable after this win and think we’re all good again, because there’s a lot of s**t things that we did.”
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Erasmus noted this Kiwi outfit is doing far more with the ball than the Scott Robertson-coached team that the world champions humbled 43-10 in Wellington last year.
“The one thing we immediately agreed in the changing room is that this is a really good New Zealand team,” he said. “This week we did a lot of things much better, and I can tell you now that this is not the same New Zealand team we played last year.
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“They attacked with width, got offloads away, are well coached and have got athletes who can beat you on a dime. A couple of more phases at the end and it could have been a draw.
“But that’s the pressure, and it’s the first time Dave Rennie has lost since he’s been coach.
“We’ve beaten New Zealand, who were No 1 in the world last week. They are a brilliant team, and there’s definitely things that we must fix.”
Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images
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Rassie Erasmus agreed Dave Rennie’s All Blacks are much improved, but the Springbok boss has reminded his rivals of the pressure they’re now under after Saturday’s result.
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