South Africa head coach Rassie Erasmus called Scotland "a great side" after the world champions triumphed 42-28 in a 10-try Nations Championship thriller in Pretoria on Saturday.
Handling a record 55th match as Springboks coach, he said the fringe players used at Loftus Versfeld stadium would benefit greatly from the experience.
"When you can win and learn then it is much nicer. Scotland smashed Argentina, beat England and France in February and I think they are the third best side in the world," he told reporters.
"They are a great team and we had 13 guys with less than 10 caps and another four with less than 20," he said after a victory sealed by a 78th-minute try from inside centre Jesse Kriel.
"They are not settled test players, but they are guys who needed tier-one opposition. That is how you find out if they can handle the pressure.
"It is not that they are not good enough, it is just that we have a lot of work to do on them.
"This game could have gone against us, but then there were also soft tries given away by us. Now we know that some guys need a lot of work.
Job done, but it wasn't easy. Thanks @Scotlandteam for a tough old Test 🤝#Springboks #ForeverGreenForeverGold pic.twitter.com/fadWcru1b0
— Springboks (@Springboks) July 11, 2026
"But we were also a disjointed team up against a brilliant backline and forwards who did very well in the Six Nations. It would not have been a disaster if we lost. To win and learn is great."
Scotland captain Sione Tuipulotu said he felt pride and frustration after pushing the Springboks all the way, but failing to convert key chances.
"I am definitely proud of the resilience shown, there were plenty of instances when we could have let them run away with the game – they were 14-0 up early on and later we were 21 points down.
"We kept fighting and kept coming back. But there is probably disappointment over missed opportunities. It is just our execution (that) let us down.
"We created lots of problems for their defence, we got line breaks and beat defenders, but they scrambled well in defence, that is their identity.
"There were some big swings in momentum, 14-point swings when you go from one side of the field to the other.
"That is when you show resilience, but a couple of those we could have controlled better.
"Other times we managed to turn momentum well, but capitalising on the scoreboard is what is important," said the inside centre.
In the third round next Saturday, South Africa face Wales in Durban and Scotland tackle Fiji in Edinburgh.