Erasmus Admits Embarrassment After Springboks’ Loss to Australia, Explains What Went Wrong

• Rassie Erasmus was left disappointed after the Springboks suffered an embarrassing defeat against Australia this weekend
• The Wallabies rallied back despite being 22-0 down in 18 minutes against the Boks to win 38-22 at Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg
• Erasmus explained why he was embarrassed after the defeat and blamed his team for not taking advantage of Australia losing one of their best players ahead of the tie

A disappointed Rassie Erasmus conceded that Australia outclassed his side, South Africa, across the board in their embarrassing Rugby Championship upset at Ellis Park on Saturday, August 16, 2025.

The Springboks were up by 22-0 in the match after just 18 minutes of play, but the Wallabies rallied back to earn a deserving 38-22 victory.

Erasmus disappointed after Springboks lost to the Aussies

During the press conference after the game, Erasmus, who was in tears while talking about Makazole Mapimpi's family tragedy, admitted that it was one of his most embarrassing post-match interviews after his team's poor performance against Australia.

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The former Bok claimed his team made their opponent better with their embarrassing performance and letting a 22-0 lead slip out of their fingers.

“This is one of the most embarrassing press conferences I’ve had in a long time,” said Erasmus.

“Not just because we played poorly, although we were awful, but because they were genuinely very good. I don’t want to fall back on the old cliché of ‘credit to them,’ but the truth is, while they were strong, we made them look even better with the way we performed.

"To throw away a 22-0 lead like that is more than just frustrating, it’s a pattern we’ve seen before. It felt like déjà vu from the Italy Test, where we were cruising at 27-3 and still let them claw back.

"That’s not bad luck, that’s a warning sign. We can search for reasons, but the hard truth is, Australia showed grit, and we didn’t match it when it mattered most."

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The Springboks coach rues his side's inability to make good use of the advantage they had before the match after the Wallabies lost their key player, Will Skelton, to injury.

“They lost a key player in Will Skelton, but it was our own drop in intensity that let them in for soft tries. Overall, Australia outplayed us in most areas,” he admitted.

“We didn’t dominate the scrums, and they took control of the lineouts. We started well at the breakdown in the first 25 minutes, but after Siya (Kolisi) went off injured and Marco (van Staden) went for an HIA, they took over there too. As coaches, we have to admit, we got it badly wrong.”

Erasmus sends special message to SA Women

Briefly News earlier reported that Erasmus sent a lovely message to South African women ahead of the Springboks' clash with Australia.

The 52-year-old tactician also showed love to the South African female rugby national team squad.

Proofreading by Kelly Lippke, copy editor at Briefly.co.za.

Source: Briefly News