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Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus was cautious with his language following his resilient team’s victory over Italy with a score of 32-14 on Saturday evening, yet he still emphasized that officiating choices have negatively impacted his team’s past two weeks of games.

Last week during the match against France, Lood de Jager received a questionable red card, and later in Turin, another lock, Franco Mostert, was similarly sent off in the 11th minute.

How can you guide a 2.6m tall individual to bend lower than he currently does?” Erasmus questioned. “They are already on their knees …

Erasmus stated: “We believed the process was a 20-minute red card, and it’s not my place to comment, but for the second week in a row, our captain (Siya Kolisi) had to endure (being sent to the bench). This was due to a yellow card that could have been reviewed.”

I’m not implying it was the incorrect decision,” Erasmus said carefully, “but we witnessed other instances in the game where head shots were made, yet the game wasn’t halted. It’s challenging; I’m not pointing fingers, but the consistency in calling head shots wasn’t balanced in this match.

We will examine the game and possibly reach a different decision. If we realize that we were incorrect in most instances, we will correct it.

Erasmus was questioned whether this game proved to be more challenging than the match against France, where the Boks lost De Jager in the 38th minute.

At one point, we were at 13, and that wasn’t easy. Yes, this game was more challenging than last week.

Referring to the Springboks’ strong capacity to adjust to these scenarios during matches, captain Kolisi stated: “We experienced it last weekend, and this week we faced the same situation. Therefore, we develop strategies during the game as these situations occur.”

The main question we faced this week was to demonstrate our ‘Africanness,’ which involves planning since there are always obstacles, and I appreciate the coaching staff for that.

They are consistently ready for any situation, and even the players not participating sit down to develop strategies and make choices, which everyone fully supports.

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 truly appreciate how this team is capable of rising up and battling. We always mention that whatever occurs within those four lines, we can still give our all and manage what we can.