Springbok skipper Siya Kolisi says that the dark places that he and his teammates have been through before have helped in the preparations for Saturday’s second Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series test against the All Blacks in Cape Town.
The double World Cup-winning captain returns from injury to lead his team with the hosts trailing 1-0 and desperately needing to win at the DHL Stadium if they are to retain a chance of winning the4 series.
If they lose, the best they can do is share the new RGR trophy, in which sense Kolisi believes that the game is similar to a World Cup playoff game.
The Boks have made a habit of winning the games that matter in the global tournament, doing it three times in succession in the last World Cup in France by a solitary point to retain the Webb Ellis trophy they won in Japan in 2019.
In between those two World Cups, there was also a tense British and Irish Lions series win where the Boks came from 1-0 down, something that 35-year-old Kolisi says the team has been drawing on in the buildup to this must win game.
Your match day 23 to take on the All Blacks at DHL Stadium tomorrow. 🇿🇦
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“It’s important, it’s very important, and they are all important (from here on),” said Kolisi in reference to the fact the Boks now have to win three in a row against their arch-opponents in order to win the series.
“We know this is a four-game series. It is my first time in a four-match series, we’ve heard of them and know they have been played before but this is a first as far as playing in one is concerned. But we have all been in this position before and we know how to handle it. We were 1-0 down against the Lions, we lost the opening game of the 2019 World Cup, and we came back and were successful.
“Having done it before does inspire you with confidence. We know what to do and we know a big part of the battle is in the mind. We know our minds and what that is capable of, but the most important thing is what we do on the field. The scoreline wasn’t good last week, but we have watched the game again and know we missed a lot of opportunities.”
'SEARCHING FOR WAYS TO GET BETTER'
Still, due to the culture of excellence that Rassie Erasmus has built together with his team during his stint as coach, the Boks haven’t recently been in the situation they face now.
The Boks haven’t lost two games in a row since 2022.
“A lot of us have been with each other quite a bit and we remember the dark periods that we came through. Those conversations happen quite a bit, when we go out to dinner together. It is made easier by us all being very honest with each other on the field. The fact we know we have been there before and come through it is something we draw strength from.”
Kolisi said it was all about constantly searching for ways to get better, to learn from and atone for mistakes in previous games. In that regard, he reckons the potential game changer for the Boks in Cape Town, what will enable them to turn around the Johannesburg result, is a relatively simple one to figure out.
“If we create as many opportunities as last week we must take more chances than we did then,” said Kolisi. “They (the All Blacks) had chances and they took them. We had a huge amount of dominance in the first half but didn’t convert it. We have studied the game closely and seen where we went wrong and have worked to put it right.”
On a personal level, Kolisi said he was confident his hamstring injury that still had him in doubt for the game on Monday, which was why he was initially bracketed with Paul de Villiers in the starting team with Pieter-Steph du Toit continuing in the captaincy, has now been consigned to history.
“I’m feeling strong, and our medical team has been really good. I’m happy to be back and being able to play this game,” Kolisi said.