Springbok captain Andre Esterhuizen blamed poor discipline and a failure to capitalise on their own opportunities after the world champions suffered a thrilling 42-38 defeat to Australia in Perth on Sunday.
The Springboks were made to pay for a costly first half in which Australia repeatedly exposed their defence, and Esterhuizen admitted the Wallabies had capitalised on almost every mistake.
“We always knew it was going to be a tough battle coming down here,” Esterhuizen said.
“Australia is always a hard team to beat and such a good game to play. I think it was a pretty intense game and quite quick for a Test match.
“But they capitalised on all our errors.
“I think discipline let us down, especially in that first half. We let them in too many times and that really hurt us.”
Coach Rassie Erasmus made 13 changes to the side that had started the previous Test, but Esterhuizen rejected the suggestion that the reshuffled team had been too disjointed.
“I don’t think it was too disjointed,” he said.
“I think, like I said, it’s the discipline that was the key factor that let us down.
“These boys, all of us, trained together for the last 18, 19 weeks. We know each other well. We know the plan well.
“It’s just about getting here and executing.”
Despite the defeat, Esterhuizen was proud of the way the Springboks fought their way back into the match and gave themselves a chance of snatching victory in the closing stages.
“I’m very proud of the fight the boys showed at the end,” he said.
“But we definitely need to be better than that.”
The Springboks were also given a strong reminder of their support away from home, with a large contingent of South African fans turning Optus Stadium into a sea of green, almost matching the number of Wallabies supporters in yellow.
Esterhuizen was quick to thank them for their backing.
“We saw South Africans last week, this week, full up everywhere,” he said.
“The support’s always coming out for us.
“Thanks so much for all the support. Thanks for coming down and supporting the boys.
“It was really nice to play the game here.”
