The South African Fans Drive Us

Springbok captain Siya Kolisi is thrilled to face their arch-rivals, New Zealand, in Johannesburg in their first home game of the Castle Lager Rugby Championship on Saturday, and said the fans are a huge driving force for the team.

The Springboks will go in search of their third victory in as many games and attempt to stretch their lead at the top of the Castle Lager Rugby Championship table in front of a sell-out crowd at Emirates Airline Park, although the Bok captain warned they expected a tough encounter against the side they last faced in the 2023 Rugby World Cup final in France.

“Playing in South Africa makes a huge difference – it motivates us because we are playing for the people of South Africa and that drives us immensely as a team,” said Kolisi.

“The All Blacks are highly motivated for the match, but so are we. A good result will take us a step closer to winning the Freedom Cup.

“They’ve beaten us a lot in Johannesburg, but the Boks have a lot to play for, and that’s our focus as a team.”

Springbok assistant coach Mzwandile Stick, like many pundits, predicted a humdinger of a match.

“The last few times we’ve played against them have been some of the most entertaining encounters, especially given how they play until the final whistle, and I don’t think it will be any different this weekend,” said Stick.

“If we don’t get momentum and dominate the set pieces, it could be a long day for us.”

Stick was excited about the influence former All Black flyhalf Tony Brown has had in the Bok coaching team and said he’s been making a valuable contribution.

“Tony understands their DNA,” said Stick. “He played for them, and he’s coached alongside some of their coaches, so yes, we’ve tapped into that.

“They are a team that take pride in what they do, so we are expecting them to come hard at us, but we’ll be ready for that. They keep the ball in hand as long as possible, but we are well-conditioned and know what to expect.”

The Bok assistant coach added: “We’ve selected a well-balanced side with players who can make a strong impact off the bench and which we believe can counter what they throw at us.”

Of Eben Etzebeth’s inclusion on the replacements after making it through training all week pain-free following an injury concern last weekend, Stick said: “He’s looking good, and we are confident that he’ll make a good impact.

“We’ve selected a strong team, and we have players like Pieter-Steph (du Toit), while Ruan (Nortje) has really grabbed his opportunity. They all have a massive work rate, and that’s vital against a team like the All Blacks where you must play until the last second, so we are excited about the players we have on the bench.”

Kolisi, meanwhile, was excited to join forces with Ben-Jason Dixon and Jasper Wiese – who makes a welcome return from suspension – in a physical and hard-running loose trio.

“Ben-Jason has a massive work rate, and we all know what Jasper can do,” said Kolisi. “It is exciting for us to see the competition in the squad for places with a guy like Ben-Jason coming through the ranks.”

The Bok skipper, meanwhile, was wary of the threat veteran All Black flanker Sam Cane posed, saying: “He’s been a warrior for them for so many years, so it’s going to be a proper battle especially among the loose forwards and in the set pieces.”