Siya Kolisi is thrilled to be back in the Springbok camp and has made no secret of the team’s desire to get the Ireland monkey off their back in Pretoria on Saturday.
Kolisi is among the 20 World Cup winners who will line up against Ireland in the first Test of the series at a sold-out Loftus Versfeld.
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The hard-hitting flanker has retained the captaincy for the series, after initial doubts about his future in the role due to him currently being based in Paris with Racing 92.
Kolisi did come under fire from his club president for his fitness towards the end of the Top 14 season, but during a press conference on Friday, said he was feeling up to speed with the Springboks.
“In terms of the season, I didn’t take off after the World Cup. I had two weeks off, then I played for first game in Paris and I’ve been playing since then,” Kolisi said.
“There have been things I’m not used to. I’ve been playing 80 minutes for all my games, bar the last one. It’s good in a way because it keeps me on the field and makes me fitter.
“I started well. In my first couple of games, I hit the ground running. The injuries did affect me a little bit. When I broke my hand, I couldn’t run for the first three weeks, so it was tough. Then my ankle went in my first game after that.
“Right now, I feel good. I feel strong,” Kolisi added. “The training here has been really good. I’m excited because there’s a new coaching staff. The gameplan is different so it feels like I’m doing something new again. I’m excited to learn.
“It just feels different when you are in the Springboks group. It’s difficult to explain. It’s the group of people, the coaches and just the mentality. The purpose part of it is something as South Africans we take for granted. But once you come home from another country, some of the things you play for, that’s what I miss the most.”
The Springboks are looking to get their first win over Ireland in the Rassie Erasmus-era, having last beaten the Emerald Greens when they previously toured South Africa in 2016.
“It’s about winning this Test match. That’s what we want to do,” Kolisi said. “As a group, this is the only team we haven’t beaten. Everybody else, we’ve been able to beat.
“It’s important for us. It’s like when we lost against Japan in 2015. Then we had that game just before the World Cup, just to get the monkey off the back.
“It’s a Test match, but it’s a big one. We are at home, against the team that’s at number two in the world, that’s been one of the best for the last couple of years. It is big.
“There’s no use saying, ‘Ag, it’s just another game’. No, it’s an important game. I know it will be for them too.”
Photo: Anton Geyser/Gallo Images
The post ‘Strong’ Siya ready to scalp Ireland appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Src: sarugbymag.co.za
