Much to his consternation, it was put to Erasmus that France might throw their game against the All Blacks to make sure they finished on the favourable side of the draw, and maybe the Boks would entertain a similar strategy for the Samoa match.
"It is inconceivable that a coach could stand in front of his squad of 30 players and instruct them to lose a match," he said. "How do you do that? I've never been in a team that's done that. The moment you do that you've lost the tournament."
That's the end of that, then. Erasmus said that, with one eye on the Samoa match, the Springboks were taking the 87-0 victory over Namibia with a pinch of salt.
"When you play a small team like Namibia, people go over the top with the result. They were weak opposition, they don't have a great defensive structure, and they tire. We don't want to get carried away with that," he said.
A notable absentee from the Namibia game was Bismarck du Plessis, who was given a complete break ahead of his starting role against Samoa. It has always been the plan that John Smit would lead the team in the first three pool matches, and then Du Plessis would take over, but critics keep questioning why Du Plessis is not starting matches.
"The critics must trust the coaching staff who have worked with the team for four years and know the squad members and what makes the team tick," Erasmus said. "There is more to it than people realise.
"We're doing the best for our country in attempting to win the World Cup. Give the coaching staff and selectors the benefit of the doubt," he continued.
"I will give you an example of the harmony in our team [with Smit as captain]. We have had no discipline issues, where there have been with other teams. We wouldn't let something small like egos get in the way of the team. Bismarck will get his chance. Everybody is happy in the camp."
