Just before the first test against the All Blacks, the New Zealand Herald went full in on the All Blacks chances of a historic win at Ellis Park, claiming Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus was “running scared” and the visitors have the Boks on the rack.
The claim - made by the same newspaper that published a cartoonish clown picture of Michael Cheika a few years back and who is known for being staunchly partisan - was in response to the Bok coach talking about refereeing protocols, tucked shoulders and the All Blacks trying to claim the pre-test narrative.
And when the All Blacks did defeat the Boks in the first test, it wouldn’t be a far cry to suggest that their coach Dave Rennie - in concert with his media - won the pre-game war of words and the Boks missed a trick.
Erasmus, who normally fronts the team announcement press conference on a Monday - it has moved earlier in the week the longer he has been coach - suddenly changed the narrative last week and named the team on Thursday.
FIVE PRESSERS IN 10 DAYS
But what was unusual about both last week and the lead-up to the second test this week is that Erasmus has fronted not one, but two press conferences, which is highly unusual for the head coach.
The suggestions this week have been that he is trying to control the narrative, and there have been suggestions again that Rennie, whose tour party are unbeaten up to now on the tour, has Erasmus under pressure.
On Tuesday Erasmus admitted he was “nervous” about Saturday’s second test in Cape Town, one which has become a mountain for the World Champions to climb after falling apart in the last 20 minutes at Ellis Park.
In the process he has gone back to the players who have dug the Boks out of holes before, added a 40-year old reserve hooker and pointed the finger inward at the Bok failings in the first test.
But anyone thinking that Erasmus is actually running scared has probably missed the last few years of Springbok rugby.
You just have to think back to 2018 - the test in Wellington that the Boks targeted to win to turnaround their dismal showing in the two previous years. While the Boks had struggled in Australia the previous week, losing narrowly 23-18 in a tight contest, Erasmus surprised all when he said if the Boks didn’t front up and beat New Zealand, SA Rugby had the right to fire him.
GAUNTLET LAID DOWN
The gauntlet laid down was surprising given he had not coached the side for an entire season but it inspired his side to a famous win in Wellington and set the groundwork for the 2019 World Cup victory a year later.
Erasmus, more than anyone, knows the Boks have messed up in the first test. Physical superiority and a scrum that was demolishing the opposition are only as valuable as the points they put on the board.
Eleven 22m entries and one try to show for it is simply not good enough and gave the All Blacks an advantage early on in Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry.
But that, coupled with his five appearances at press conferences (including the post-match) in 10 days probably underlines more the seriousness than the desperation that the Kiwis are so keen to read into his actions.
Erasmus has admitted this week that the mistakes came from the tactics in the coaching box, and therefore he feels it would be unfair for his players to front up and explain the coaching mistakes. In part he is shielding his players but also taking the loss on the chin.
SPACE TO FOCUS
And in the process he is giving his assistants, and the players space to continue preparing to ensure the same mistakes don’t happen again this weekend. The ploy may be seen as nerves by some, but it is also part of a plan, and as we always know, Rassie always has a plan.
The Boks have dug themselves out of holes before - the British and Irish Lions tour of 2021, the pool losses to New Zealand and Ireland in 2019 and 2023, and in each of those Erasmus has focused the spotlight on himself. This week is no different.
“I can’t say I’m not nervous. I'm definitely nervous again. We are one game down, and, and if we don't win this game, we can't win the series. We can only draw it. So nerves are there for sure,” Erasmus explained on Tuesday.
“I mean, we've been under pressure a lot of times like that. I just normally find when you have assistant coaches who now have to focus on fixing the line out, fixing the maul, fixing the breakdown, you know. You want them to concentrate on that, and not on “what am I going to say here (at a press conference)
“You know, , it takes up another half an hour where you say, “Okay, guys, let's just not talk, talk nonsense or be too arrogant or whatever.” So they can now do the coaching there in their roles. When you're not under the pump like that, there's a little bit more breathing space.
“Are you, are you getting tired of me?” he quipped at the end of the answer, bringing the room into raucous laughter. The point was made.
DENIES SHIELDING PLAYERS
Erasmus also denied he was “shielding” his players.
“No, I'm not shielding them,” he smiled “It's definitely the truth that - a lot of the things that we asked from them, they did, and the plan didn't win the game for us. But it's definitely also not the players that lost the game for us.
“I'm not just shielding them, I'm taking responsibility for some decisions we made. But we're a group. I don't want players to sit and explain why we lost if it was more on me than I think. I'm just trying to be honest, not shielding them.”
The gravity of Saturday’s game is definitely not lost on Erasmus, who knows a loss not only means they can’t win the series, but also means they will leave South Africa with a technical series loss before going to Baltimore.
And as competitive and hungry for success as the Bok coach has been, this week will be all about the response and a bit of redemption. And keeping the focus on him is one way of doing that.