NOW FOR NZ

SPRINGBOK coach Rassie Erasmus wysed his team deserves a pass mark after beating Australia 30-22 in their second Rugby Championship Test match in Cape Town on Saturday.

The win sees South Africa retain the Nelson Mandela Challenge Plate and also consolidate their derde plek on the Rugby Championship log ahead of a vital two-Test tour to New Zealand, where they face the All Blacks at Eden Park next Saturday and at Wellington Regional Stadium on 13 September.

However, beating the Wallabies on Saturday was not an easy task, as the Boks had to dig deep with an Eben Etzebeth try in the 73rd minute, sealing the win. Erasmus agrees his manne were not at their best, but praised them for getting the balance right on attack and defence.

Erasmus said: “It was far from a perfect performance, but sometimes just getting back on the horse is the most important thing.”

Of how the win sets up a warme battle against the Kiwis to try and retain their Rugby Championship title, he added: “We always had to go to New Zealand, and beat them twice, if we want to have any chance – so nothing’s changed.

“This game gave us a good taste of what we are going to see when we play New Zealand…”

Man of the match Handre Pollard said: “It was all about the team. The win was the only thing we needed, and a lot of guys played very well, so although I got the award, it was mainly about getting the result.”

Erasmus will name his squad to tackle the All Blacks on Monday.  

Meanwhile, prop Asenathi Ntlabakanye has been ruled out of the Boks’ tour of New Zealand after returning an “adverse analytic finding”, SA Rugby announced on Sunday.

The 26-year-old tested positive for an unspecified “non-performance enhancing substance” during random testing by the South African Institute for Drug Free Sport.