Rassie Erasmus hails thriller as Springboks edge All Blacks

Speaking after a fierce battle that was level at half-time before the world champions pulled clear with a strong second-half performance, the Springbok coach was measured and reflective.

"I thought it was epic. The whole series so far has been epic, and they can draw it in Baltimore. Obviously we are happy tonight, but I don't want to swear again because I got into trouble last time, and I really apologise for that last week - it was not well-mannered and I apologise," Erasmus said.

"It was epic and it was intense and both teams lost some vital players. We lost Cheslin (Kolbe); they lost Ardie (Savea). It was a fierce battle in all departments and the scoreboard at the end showed how close the game was. We're just happy we won, and now we're on the same flight and we must try to replicate that in Baltimore."

The Springboks recovered from an early deficit and matched New Zealand's four tries, with Kurt-Lee Arendse, Jesse Kriel, Malcolm Marx and a penalty try securing the win in front of nearly 88 000 fans. Erasmus was quick to praise the All Blacks' trademark skills while acknowledging the pressure both sides felt.

"All of us envy the way they can handle the ball, and they are certainly brilliant at that," he admitted. "None of us can say they don't keep the ball alive, and they play to their strengths."

He also pointed to the disruptions his side faced. "Last weekend we lost Damian Willemse in the first-half, and now we lost Cheslin, and then we also got a yellow card for Sacha [Feinberg-Mngomezulu], which also put us under the pump, and then you have to make some plans.

"But at half-time, luckily, when we went in it was level, so then you get some hope, but we knew we were now playing against the wind. I don't think we utilised the wind really well in the first half because there were a few (penalties) that Sacha could have slotted from far out and then one or two knock-ons and simple errors, but then over 80 minutes at least it evened out."

Erasmus was candid about the nerves that accompany matches between the world's top two teams.

"Without a doubt, I'm telling you now, we were certainly nervous. They were nervous, too. It's a massive series, playing number one and two in the world, and the whole build-up to the thing, it has certainly lived up to that and I can tell you now we're not sitting here thinking that we are flipping awesome; we are thinking there was also a lot of luck that went our way."

On the ongoing scrum debate that had dominated discussion after the previous Test, Erasmus sought to draw a line under the narrative. He praised All Blacks coach Dave Rennie while insisting South Africa had not dominated the set-piece.

"We were caught for a free kick, we were caught for collapsing one, but I'm the last one probably to talk about that because I have moaned to the media in the past. I just think the frustration was not just because of what was raised. It was: was it on the right platform? We shouldn't be out there, and I've been guilty in the past.

"So I've learned my lesson; I've got banned and things like that, and then you sort of expect everybody else also to do it that way. But I mean, I don't know how many people know Dave; he is a gentleman.

"He definitely coaches in a very brutal way and it's sometimes difficult to get around the smart things that he coaches, and I don't think we were dominant in the scrums. There were times when it was pretty equal and things could have gone against us, but I'm just glad the narrative of games at the scrums - it's really not a South African thing.

"Hell, I can tell you we like high balls and we like the kicking game and we like mauling but we would never pick a scrum, so I hope that we parked that now. We parked that now because they scrummed well tonight.

"There were a few scrums where we were under the pump, where we were glad they got the ball out and didn't keep on scrumming. So you know the changes Rennie made really made a hell of a difference, and if we can park that and just concentrate on, he calls it footy, having some good footy next week."

Looking ahead to the series decider in Baltimore, Erasmus stressed the importance of maintaining their focus for the final Test.

"I know some people said in the media, or even some people said it out loud, that this is the series, only the part in South Africa, but it's a full four-match Test series. I know they lost this part in South Africa, but all three games, I know they smashed us in the first one, but I thought the score was a little bit skewed.

"You know, we were a lot more in that game than most people think, and then last weekend, in the last play, they could have drawn it.

"They had two losses now, but they came in with a 100 percent win record and they are playing a style that is tough to defend."

The two sides now head to Baltimore for the fourth and final Test next weekend, with the series still very much alive.

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