Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus said his team had no excuses after France beat them 21-19 at the Stade de France in Paris on Friday evening.
It was the first defeat for the world champions in the Nations Championship. The Springboks now face Ireland in their final match of the tournament next weekend.
“They played really well, and we didn’t play well. We can’t find a lot of excuses,” Erasmus said.
According to IOL Sport, handling errors, poor decisions and sloppy play cost the Boks. They also received a yellow card and a red card that was upgraded for foul play.
France captain Antoine Dupont was named Player of the Match. The home side held on to win even though they did not score a point in the second half.
Erasmus said France were sharper on the night and used the chances that came their way.
“France were on top of their game, and we were a little bit off. Like in the past, it was one point here, one point there. Tonight, they took their opportunities when they got them, and we didn’t,” he said.
The Springboks chose several times to keep packing scrums instead of kicking for the corner or at the posts. Erasmus said that choice may have been a mistake.
He said the team may have expected too much from the referee in those moments.
“You know, it’s tough in front of a crowd like this to keep penalising the home team. You might think they have dominance there, but it’s human nature not to keep penalising a team when they’ve already received a card or two for that. So perhaps that was an incorrect decision by us as well,” Erasmus said.
The coach said his side created enough chances to win the Test but did not finish them.
“It’s an old cliché, but I definitely think we had enough opportunities. There were simple tries we could have scored with one last pass, and maybe one or two wrong decisions, such as kicking for the corner rather than expecting the referee to give us four penalties in a row at scrum time,” he said.
One of the costly moments came when fullback Damian Willemse failed to field a high kick while under pressure, IOL reported.
France stay at the top of the Northern Hemisphere log after the win. The Springboks play Ireland next weekend in their last game of the Nations Championship.
Source: this article is based on reporting by IOL Sport. Image: IOL Sport. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice Sports desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Tiyani Mathebula writes about sport for Tzaneen Voice. Tiyani covers Bafana Bafana, the Springboks, the Proteas and the PSL, along with athletics, tennis and local club sport. Match reports and previews focus on results, team news, fixtures and what each game means for South African teams and fans.