Boks worry over Nyakane, while Erasmus tips hat to clinical All Blacks

The reserve prop hobbled off the park at the Nissan Stadium during the second half of their opening clash of the tournament.

The incident forced Frans Malherbe back onto the park and the double-replacement meant that Springbok veteran Frans Steyn was unable to get onto the field on Saturday night.

Springbok director of rugby Rassie Erasmus confirmed that Nyakane’s injury was serious during the post-match press conference.

“We got an injury to Trevor Nyakane, a calf injury not a knee injury. That’s the only the injury we got in the game. We couldn’t get Frans Steyn on because Cheslin Kolbe got cramps at the end. Pieter-Steph du Toit also got some cramps so we had to keep one guy on the bench,” Erasmus said.

“The only real worry is Trevor - I think it’s fairly serious.” 

The Springboks should have a medical update within the next 24 hours so some clarity on Nyakane’s availability in the coming weeks should be forthcoming.

Erasmus, Kolisi give credit to disciplined All Blacks

Reflecting on the result, both Erasmus and Springbok captain Siya Kolisi steered clear of any excuse-making and gave full credit to the All Blacks for their clinical performance.

The penalty statistics were especially telling as New Zealand only conceded two penalties in the full 80 minutes - a stark comparison to the Springboks' 11. Erasmus said that was a deciding factor in the result.

“They won the game, I don't think we lost it. With two tries to one they definitely deserved to win the game. If we concede eleven penalties to two, you're going to struggle to beat New Zealand. Discipline was our biggest downfall.” 

The match seemed evenly poised for the first 20 minutes before two quick fire tries put New Zealand into a 17-3 lead in the blink of an eye. Springbok captain Siya Kolisi said there was no hint of panic among his charges after the second score but that their downfall was a result of poor execution with possession.

“We weren’t shocked, they handled our kicking game really well. It looked like they were ready for everything we threw at them. We didn’t execute when we had the opportunities, every time we were attacking we’d make a mistake and they would take that opportunity. They’re very good at turnovers. All in all they really deserved it today,” Kolisi said.

READ: First half chances see All Blacks beat Boks in RWC opener

With their opening clash behind them, the Springboks now turn their attention to their next three pool B fixtures. Clashes with Namibia, Italy and Canada should be fairly straight-forward encounters for the Springboks.

However South Africa will have to rewrite the history books in order to lift the Webb Ellis trophy in six weeks time. No team has ever won the Rugby World Cup without winning every match in the tournament.

That fact is not lost on Erasmus but the Springbok director of rugby believes his team can accomplish the feat.

“Yes I think we can fight back. Even in the game we fought back. At half time to be 17-3 down, I’ve seen Springbok teams get 50 points when they were that amount of points down to New Zealand,” Erasmus said.

“There were stages where we fought back well but we got injuries late in the game and we couldn't get guys like Frans Steyn onto the field. There were a few guys who I thought could give impact that we had to hold back. If you are grouped with New Zealand in your pool, there’s a good chance of not going undefeated in your pool. Then you have to fight back and try to get to the final for the first time in history by not being unbeaten.”

The Springboks travelled from Tokyo to Nagoya on Sunday. The 350km trip is best taken by Shinkansen (bullet train). South Africa will be based in the city, before travelling to the Toyota Stadium on Saturday to take on their African neighbours Namibia.

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