Siya Kolisi and Mzwandile Stick have confirmed the Springboks expect to face an England side on Saturday that is highly motivated to salvage their season after four successive defeats.
Speaking on Friday in the buildup to the Twickenham clash, Kolisi cautioned that England, in a four-game slump, would be a more dangerous prospect going into the first meeting between the teams since the 2023 Rugby World Cup semi-finals in Paris, which the Boks won 16-15.
“They will be dangerous because we know how it feels to lose a few games in a row and what it took to turn things up again,” the skipper told reporters.
“We lost a few on the trot in Australia before, and such a situation can definitely pull a team together. They are also playing at home and will have their home crowd behind them, so they’ll be geared up for the challenge.”
“We want to rectify our record here as a team [the Boks have lost three of their last four matches at the iconic stadium], and although we won last week [against Scotland], we have high standards, and it’s important for us to return to those standards as a group,” the loose forward added.
Assistant coach Stick echoed Kolisi’s sentiments: “Losing two matches right at the end of the game doesn’t make them a bad team. In the World Cup semi-final many people didn’t give them a chance against us, and they caught people by surprise with the way they played in that match.
“When we say they are desperate, it certainly isn’t negative, we mean they will have more motivation. They’ve named a quality team, and they have a strong kicking game, so if we are not at our best, they can beat us.
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“They’re playing at Twickenham in front of 85 000 fans, so we cannot afford to be less than our best because we know it’s going to take an 80-minute effort, so we cannot switch off.”
Kolisi, meanwhile, was taken aback by the support for the Boks in the UK thus far, and said they owe it to their supporters to put up a good performance in London as the world champions look to secure their second victory on the three-match tour. They will face Wales in Cardiff next Saturday.
“The support for the team has definitely been growing,” he said. “Wherever we go there are Springbok supporters and some of them have travelled around the world to see us.
“The only way to thank them is by our performances on the field, so we always want to go out there and give our best.
“We also have immense support at home with people watching matches on television and at malls. Our people keep us accountable and give us hope because it gives us something greater to play for than the team.”
With prop Wilco Louw set to become the 50th player to run out in the green and gold jersey this season, Kolisi praised head coach Rassie Erasmus for staying true to the plan which he set out in 2018.
“When Rassie took over in 2018, he said his plan was based around three elements – winning, transforming the team, and building squad depth,” said Kolisi.
“To see Wilco become the 50th player to take the field for the team this year while Rassie has been rotating the squad and we’ve been able to win most of matches is something to be proud of, and ensures that looking forward, if there are injuries we have a wealth of players who can step in at any time.”
Photo: RvS.Media/Sylvie Failletaz/Getty Images
The post Siya: We know how it feels to lose appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Src: sarugbymag.co.za
