VIDEO: Boks to be 'tweaked' for round two
JUNE SPOTLIGHT: Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus is keen to ‘tweak’ his team ahead of the crucial second Test against England.
Erasmus admitted the first 20 minutes of the fortuitous 42-39 at Ellis Park at the weekend was not the start they wanted.
“I was worried,” he said of the opening quarter that saw his team trail 3-24.
The coach said that there will be ‘continuity’ in selection, but the team can be improved.
“There were a lot of young guys against a very experienced England side,” the coach said, adding that it could have gotten “very bad” for the Boks.
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Statistics from the match seems to back up the coach’s statement that there is a lot of work to be done – with 14 missed tackles and 16 turnovers (mostly from kicks).
However, the senior players stood up and guide the young guns to victory.
“Well done to Siya [captain Siyamthanda Kolisi], Duane [Vermeulen] and the other senior guys,” Erasmus said, adding: “Even at the end, we only scraped through.
“Despite all the mistakes and wrong things, the character [the team showed] is something we can take forward and build on.
“There is a lot of work to be done, but if that scoreline went to 40, 50 [points against us] we would have been very worried.
“Then we would have had doubt over our team selection for next week [the second Test in Bloemfontein].
“Fortunately, because we came back, it makes it easier to get consistency in the team selection.
“We will do a few things [selection changes] that I feel will help us, especially in terms of experience next week,” he added.
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