Rugby: Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus - 'A win important for me to survive'

Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus could be heading towards the exit should South Africa lose to the All Blacks on Saturday.

The Springboks were handed their second straight defeat in the Rugby Championship on Saturday following a 23-18 loss to the Wallabies in Brisbane and are looking to bounce back against the All Blacks, but face a tall order having lost the same fixture 57-0 last year.

Erasmus suggested South Africa might have to beat the All Blacks in Wellington in order to keep his job.

"Probably just for me to survive it's very important [that we win]," Erasmus told Stuff. "But that's totally beside the point, for me to survive."

"If we can beat the All Blacks here then everybody will think we have a realistic chance of winning the World Cup next year and if we do really well here people would say there's growth. But if we do really bad here then I will probably not be in the seat for the next couple of matches and somebody else will probably be there."

Erasmus, South Africa's director of rugby, signed a six-year contract as Springboks coach earlier this year, taking him through to the next two World Cup campaigns.

Erasmus said it's easier to prepare to face the All Blacks than the Wallabies, as his side head to Wellington.

"I think it's much easier to go and play against the All Blacks, not because they're an easy team," he said after Saturday's defeat.

"I think you're just so much the underdogs by far that people don't expect you to get into the mix at all. It's just an easy game to go and prepare."

The Springboks have lost eight straight on New Zealand soil with the last two defeats by a combined 85 points. However the last time they face the All Blacks at Westpac Stadium, South Africa lost a hard fought encounter 14-10 in 2014.