- Jacques Nienaber and Siya Kolisi both admitted that they got the Rugby Championship's bonus point rule wrong in the Boks' victory over Argentina.
- The men were under the impression that South Africa needed four tries to claim a full house of log points, leading to a rushed Morne Steyn conversion.
- But the Bok skipper was chuffed with the composure shown by his team-mates to craft the decisive try.
The Springbok brains trust of Jacques Nienaber and Siya Kolisi both sheepishly admitted they got the Rugby Championship's bonus point rule wrong in Saturday's 32-12 victory over Argentina in Gqeberha.
South Africa's anxiousness was apparent when Morne Steyn, on as replacement flyhalf, sliced a drop kick conversion from the right touchline after his fellow substitute half-back and debutant, Jaden Hendrikse, rounded off brilliantly in the corner for the hosts' third try.
It was a strange sequence of events given that a normal conversion would've seen the clock pass 80 minutes with the bonus point in the bag.
As it turned out, Nienaber and Kolisi - who'd been replaced in the third quarter - thought the Boks required another try for the full house of log points.
"Yeah, I thought we needed four tries," said Kolisi with a smile.
Nienaber then chipped in: "My bad. I'll get better at that."
Nonetheless, Kolisi was proud of the composure shown by his team-mates to craft the decisive score.
They had seemed to secure it in the 71st minute when patient phase play allowed space for the impressive Aphelele Fassi to cross the whitewash for a second time, only for the TMO to overrule the try because Malcolm Marx infringed through a double movement.
Undaunted, the Boks continued to hammer away and once Marco van Staden disdainfully bumped off two defenders to allow the platform for Hendrikse's try.
"That's what I love about this team," said Kolisi.
"There are no real senior players, everyone has their job. We have different pressure points and we don't panic. If something goes wrong at a scrum or a ruck or a score, everyone gets summoned and we talk about it quickly."
Aphelele Fassi's second international try is our @LunoGlobal moment of the match ??#RugbyChampionship pic.twitter.com/nyE0gmzeTs
— SuperSport ?? (@SuperSportTV) August 14, 2021
In fact, the Springboks have decided as a whole to simply try and eliminate panicking as part of their psyche.
"We've told ourselves previously that when a setback happens, panicking isn't going to help anyone," said the Bok captain.
"Happily, we have many experienced guys in our group, so on-field decisions don't fall solely on the captain. We never panicked and we really controlled the game well throughout.
"It was great that it would lead to Jaden's try."
Nienaber was also impressed with the result.
"I really thought the guys played well. The Argentines are a difficult team to play against," he said.
"It's the second time since the World Cup that they've lost. One is always wary of the players losing intensity after a big series win like the one against the Lions.
"But we challenged the players and told them this was going to be a massive trial. I think there are some tired bodies after tonight's match."