Rassie eyes All Blacks after key win

THE Springboks won't forget their mishap at Ellis Park any time soon, but Saturday’s victory in the second Rugby Championship Test against the Wallabies in Cape Town will serve as a massive panacea for that wound as they shift focus to New Zealand.

- LEIGHTON KOOPMAN

Another positive for the Boks was Argentina's gritty win over the All Blacks, which has blown the tournament wide open, with all four Southern Hemisphere teams now sitting on one win and one loss. The world champions, however, will head into their double Tests against the Kiwis with some winning momentum, following the 30-22 victory at DHL Stadium.

South Africa will face New Zealand in Auckland (6 September) and Wellington (13 September). Those two games could determine whether the Boks defend their Rugby Championship title.

As attention turns to the away leg, head coach Rassie Erasmus expressed his delight with his team’s effort to avoid a first back-to-back home loss to Australia in more than 60 years.

“We got the balance between running and kicking a bit better this time around,” Erasmus said.

“However, we saw how dangerous Australia was when we didn’t win the ball back with our kicks—when they claimed it or picked up the scraps from knock-backs. New Zealand is equally good at that.

“Their entire backline, Ardie Savea, and a few others are very quick.