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Although Springbok captain Siya Kolisi and coach Rassie Erasmus are impressed by their team’s determination, they are struggling to deal with the recurring issue of red cards that has affected the team.

The Springboks had to put in a lot of effort to defeat Italy in Turin on Saturday, following an early red card for the second consecutive week. In the 11th minute, lock Franco Mostert was sent off for a dangerous challenge, similar to what fellow second-row player Lood de Jager experienced last week in the 38th minute during the Boks’ loss to France.

Kolisi, speaking about his team’s remarkable capacity to adjust to challenging circumstances, stated: “We experienced it last weekend, and this week we went through the same situation. Therefore, we develop strategies during the game as events unfold.”

The most significant request we received this week was to demonstrate our ‘Africanness,’ which involves creating plans since there are always obstacles, and that’s something I appreciate about our coaching team.

They are consistently ready for any situation, and even those not participating sit down to develop strategies and make choices; they always support the decisions.

Kolisi said, “It’s not making things easier for us. We can discuss sacrifices, but when we see someone like Franco sitting there, we could notice the pain in his eyes.”

Still, I appreciate how this team can rise up and battle. We often mention that whatever occurs within those four lines, we can still push ourselves to the maximum and manage what we are able to.

Erasmus appeared visibly annoyed by the red card and made a conscious effort to keep his remarks under control.

That’s just the way it is. What I say won’t change anything,” he stated. “I’m just thankful that we had Ben O’Keeffe on one side and an experienced referee in James Doleman.

The latter performed poorly, but Erasmus maintained he was not being sarcastic.

I’m not implying it in a negative way. What I can state is that it’s unfortunate our captain had to make such a sacrifice in his 100th match and also during this game.

The South African coach explained, “I always believed we aimed for 20-minute red cards, and we need to review that, but it’s not my role to discuss it. Still, it’s unfortunate for a captain to endure two incidents in a week for us to secure victory.”

I’m not claiming the calls were incorrect, but I definitely noticed several other plays during the game. What I mean is not to criticize — that’s just part of the game — and after we analyze the match, we might reach a different conclusion and realize we were entirely mistaken, which we would then need to correct.

We received a red card, while they got a yellow card, which I likely believed was the correct decision, but losing two key players in two matches now due to not going lower than necessary… it’s hard to comprehend.

Once more, I’m not claiming anyone is incorrect, but we aren’t sure how to train players to descend lower. It is particularly challenging for a two-meter-tall player to confront someone who is kneeling. And then playing with 13 players, while they had 14 for a time, made it more difficult than last week.

Erasmus mentioned that although he is pleased with how the players adjusted during the game to secure the victory and achieve a perfect three wins out of three so far on the tour, he felt disappointed for certain individuals.

“Yes, we have a method to adjust, but it’s unjust for individuals such as Siya and Ben-Jason Dixon, who were given an opportunity after a long time but had to exit the field early to allow for a lock substitute,” stated Erasmus.

Everyone — including those not participating in the game — was developing strategies. We take great pride in our approach to changing levels and avoiding head-on collisions, but we’ve been handed numerous red cards. Makazole Mapimpi and Jasper Wiese both received six-week bans, and we’re putting in a lot of effort.

It’s not only they who are suffering; the game is also suffering. It definitely brings us closer as a team and makes us more determined, but it doesn’t eliminate the pain, even though we managed to get through it. I’m satisfied with the outcome, but I’m still sad for the players who have to bear the consequences for someone who made an accidental mistake.

The Springboks face Ireland this week in Dublin.