VIDEO: Boks boss hails All Black 'inside man' for Freedom Cup triumph
REACTION: Head coach Rassie Erasmus said former All Black flyhalf Tony Brown has been a vital component in the Springboks’ back-to-back wins over the All Blacks.
South Africa recorded an 18-12 victory over New Zealand at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday.
The win saw the back-to-back World Champs claim the Freedom Cup for the first since 2009 and remain unbeaten in the Rugby Championship.
The Boks have now recorded four consecutive victories over the arch-rivals – a streak that began in 2023 before the World Cup when they secured their biggest-ever win over their fiercest rivals, claiming a 35-7 victory at Twickenham Stadium in London.
The Boks have not won four in a row against All Blacks since 1949.
Four games, four wins against the All Blacks! 😎#Rugby365 #Springboks #AllBlacks pic.twitter.com/UzaJKnCiFG
— rugby365.com (@rugby365com) September 7, 2024
“We respect these guys unbelievably,” Erasmus said after the match, where the Springboks had to again come from behind after trailing 3-9 at the break.
“We struggled a lot against them and tonight [Saturday] we managed to beat them.”
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Since the World Cup Final, both teams have undergone massive changes. ‘
The All Blacks have overhauled their coaching team and Erasmus returned to the head coach role.
Erasmus added Jerry Flannery and Tony Brown to his coaching team, which is slowly proving to be another masterstroke by the 2019 World Cup-winning coach.
Erasmus revealed that Brown contributed immensely to the success and he gave the Springboks a better understanding of New Zealand, on and off the field.
“Tony [Brown] gave us a perspective on the All Blacks, which told us a lot about the things we didn’t understand. It makes us play better,” said Erasmus.
“We always respected them, but now we have a better understanding of how they think, from the haka to their players and the make-up of their team and how they do things.
“It’s quite amazing what he told us.”
The Boks have placed themselves in a favourable position to secure the Rugby Championship title when they take on Argentina in two weeks.
The team will enjoy a few days off before starting their preparations for the trip against Los Pumas on Wednesday.
