PARIS, FRANCE – Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus and captain Siya Kolisi acknowledged after the Boks' narrow defeat to France on Friday night that South Africa had not made the most of its chances. France won 21-19.
The Springboks trailed 21-7 at half-time at Stade de France after a try was disallowed shortly before the break. The team fought back strongly, however, and scored two tries in the second half to reduce the deficit to just two points.
Erasmus made no excuses for the defeat after the match.
"France played very well and we didn't. They took their chances and we didn't," Erasmus said.
Discipline costs Boks dearly
According to him, the Boks created enough chances to win the match, but simple errors, poor decisions and weak discipline proved costly.
He specifically referred to the yellow card Lood de Jager received for a dangerous dive and Jasper Wiese's red card 20 minutes later for dangerous play in a clearout.
"I don't think any of those incidents were deliberate, but I agree they deserved cards. We can't complain about that," Erasmus said.
Kolisi agreed the team should have made better use of its chances.
"We created opportunities on the outside early in the first half, but we didn't take them. When France got opportunities, they scored points straight away."
Fighting spirit after France defeat
Erasmus nonetheless praised the players' fighting spirit. France did not score again after around 30 minutes, while the Boks continued to fight until the final whistle despite their numerical disadvantage.
"The positive is the effort, resilience and the comeback attempt. The frustration is that our discipline cost us," he said.
The coach also acknowledged that the Boks appeared unusually hesitant when opportunities arose. He said the coaching team would need to investigate why that happened.
Also read: Erasmus sticks with tested Boks for showdown against France
Next: Ireland in Dublin
The Springboks depart Saturday for Ireland, where they will play their next Nations Championship match in Dublin.
Also read: Kolisi: "We know exactly what is expected of us against France"
This article is an automatic English translation of a Nuusflits article originally published in Afrikaans. Read the Afrikaans original.
