South Africa scrumhalf Cobus Reinach says that while the Springboks are thrilled to have retained the Rugby Championship, they need to shift their mindsets to their upcoming tour of Europe in November.
The Boks defeated Argentina 29-27 on Saturday in London to win back-to-back Rugby Championships for the first time, recovering from a poor start to the tournament to pip New Zealand to the title on the final day.
But Reinach, who was the Player of the Match against Los Pumas at Twickenham, says that’s in the past, and they now need to focus on facing France, Italy, Wales, Japan, and Ireland next month.
“You could see in the tournament how we’d lose one, win one, lose again, and then win a match,” said Reinach, who scored two tries on Saturday.
“Rugby is a strange game. But we know we have a lot of work to do before the year-end tour, and we are all ready and excited to do it. It’s going to be tough, but we’re ready to put in the work.”
After that match, captain Siya Kolisi also expressed the need for improvement if the Boks are to maintain their position as the top rugby nation in the world.
He said: “We needed to play with more unity, make fewer mistakes, and concede fewer penalties.”
Coach Rassie Erasmus, who is expected to reveal his travelling squad for November in the next fortnight, added: This was a massive game for us, and although it was a far from perfect performance, I would prefer to see us learn while we are winning than losing.
“We are still in a good position for the Rugby World Cup draw, but there is no doubt we have five tough matches ahead, and there is a lot of work ahead for us.
The Springboks play their first match on tour on Nov. 1 against Japan in at Wembley, followed by France, Italy, Ireland, and Wales over the four weeks that follow, ending at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium on Nov. 29.
