The Springboks have gone into the eve of their Castle Lager Rugby Championship decider against Argentina excited by the prospect of doing something they haven’t done before - lifting a trophy in front of their own fans.
The Boks won the Rugby World Cup final in Yokohama in 2019 and also wrapped up a shorted Championship with victory in Salta against Argentina earlier that year but, as assistant coach Mzwandile Stick put it at the pre-match press conference in Umhlanga Rocks on Friday, the experience was “a bit lonely” in the sense that the supporters weren’t there in their numbers.
“We won the World Cup, but it was not in front of our supporters, and it was the same at Salta, and last year we beat the British and Irish Lions but had to celebrate in an empty stadium, so it was a bit lonely,” said Stick.
“If on Saturday we can win the Championship by meeting whatever objective is set us in front of a packed Kings Park Stadium, then we will get a chance to celebrate the winning of a trophy in front of our supporters and we are desperately eager to experience that feeling.”
It all comes down of course to what task the Boks will be set by the result of the earlier game in Auckland between New Zealand and Australia.
While the All Blacks enjoy a 13-point advantage currently when it comes to points differential, which means that the Boks might have to chase a really big win with a bonus point, skipper Siya Kolisi appeared confident his team could meet any objective that was set.
“Our game plan allows us to chase and gives us a chance of scoring a lot of points late in the game if we have to,” said the Bok skipper.
“But in order to do that our foundations have to work, the set piece needs to work. We understand how strong Argentina are in the very areas that we are strong, so it is not going to be easy. We are going to have to play what is in front of us and at least we will know what we need to do.”
Kolisi did not duck the question about the importance of the earlier game.
“We will be watching (the Auckland game) as it makes a difference to what we have to do,” said Kolisi.
“Some of the guys like to sleep in on match day, and that’s okay, but most of us will want to watch that game so we know what we need to do to win the Championship and I am sure Argentina will have the same mindset.”
PLAYING DECIDER ON HERITAGE DAY 'EXTRA SPECIAL'
Kolisi said that while the team anticipated they may need to chase a bonus point and points differential, he didn’t think it would require too much deviation from the usual Bok winning script.
“Our planning started on the Sunday after last week’s game, and there is nothing that is going to change going into this game in terms of our approach, we are not going to change the fundamentals of our game. We just have to go for different goals. We don’t change the plans for the situation as that would be moving away from our strengths.”
Both Kolisi and Stick appeared chuffed that the Championship decider was being played on the Heritage Day public holiday, otherwise known as Braai Day in South Africa.
“It is a very special day for us. There are a lot of differences in the country, but days like this bring us together and when the Springboks do well it brings the country together,” said Stick.
“We care for one another, and we care for our support base and the country. We reckon rugby in this country is functioning well, we are one of the top three teams in the world at the moment, and that is good for the mood of the country.
“We know that those of our fans who are not at Kings Park will be in front of their braais cheering us on. We want to make those people happy and we want to win the Championship for the love of both the game and the country.”
Kolisi said the fact the game was a championship decider already made it a special one, but that playing it on Heritage Day made it extra so.
“We know how big this game is as the game has been sold out and we will be playing in front of our own passionate fans. We’ve been away for a few weeks and in that time got to experience what it is like to be the away team. Playing on Heritage Day is special, it is exciting. This is a day where you celebrate who you are and you celebrate your roots.
“It is all about being who you are. We can’t see everything the same, but there are times we all come together as one and this is a time we do that as a nation. And we all know how a winning Bok team can bring the nation together during tough times,” he added.