Rassie Erasmus explains emptying the Bok bench on 47 minutes in Perth

South Africa head coach Rassie Erasmus explained his unprecedented decision to substitute all eight bench players simultaneously in the 47th minute during a 42-38 defeat to Australia in Perth. After falling behind 24-17 at halftime and facing a growing deficit, Erasmus brought on Malcolm Marx, Ox Nche, Wilco Louw, Lood de Jager, Jasper Wiese, Morne van den Berg, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, and Quan Horn to shift momentum.

Erasmus stated that the tactical move was an in-game reaction rather than a pre-match plan, driven by the need to disrupt the Wallabies' control. Despite the loss, Erasmus described the match as a valuable experience and commended Australia head coach Les Kiss for fielding a technically sharp and well-coached side.