Those were the comments of the tactician after his side claimed a 30-12 victory over Australia which was their second bonus-point win in as many weeks, putting them in the driver’s seat in the Rugby Championship.
That is because the All Blacks were caught cold by Argentina in Round One although Scott Robertson’s men bounced back emphatically over the weekend. Still, it means the next two Tests will be critical in deciding who goes home with the trophy.
When asked if it would be a greater challenge against the All Blacks, Erasmus agreed but made a point of underlining that his comments are not disrespectful to the Wallabies.
“I’m going to say it’s another step up just because Joe Schmidt is new in the role here and he has to find his feet and get to know all the players and the way Australian rugby works. It takes some time,” Erasmus said.
“With that answer, I say yes, it will be a much tougher challenge with no disrespect (to) Australia just because Australia is where they currently are in their rebuilding phase.”
The misfiring start for the All Blacks in Round One came loaded with a lot of criticism but Erasmus believes that how the side bounced back shows why the All Blacks should not be written off.
“The All Blacks at the moment people (have) started to write them off. I saw last week, (that) a lot of people had a lot of stuff to say and then (the All Blacks) knuckled down and said, ‘Let’s show you guys today’ and then they put proper points against Argentina,” he said.
“We play them at altitude and then in Cape Town where they are probably a bit comfortable, a lot of them enjoy it there. So, a massive, almost ‘mini-series’ for us against the All Blacks. So, yes, we’re in for a tough three weeks.”
The tournament takes a break this week to allow for rest and travel after which the All Blacks will face the Springboks in Johannesburg on August 31 before Cape Town on September 7.
