Siya Kolisi

South Africa’s captain Siya Kolisi looks on during the Rugby Championship match against New Zealand . Photo: Patrick Hamilton/AFP

Kolisi: Defeats in Australia ‘hurt’, but never stressed Springboks

Although it was ‘painful’ for the Boks to lose three games in Australia, Siya Kolisi insists the team never lost faith in their style of play.

Siya Kolisi

South Africa’s captain Siya Kolisi looks on during the Rugby Championship match against New Zealand . Photo: Patrick Hamilton/AFP

After starting the Rugby Championship with back-to-back wins over Argentina in South Africa, the Boks then slipped to two unexpected losses against the Wallabies in Australia, before suffering another agonising defeat to the All Blacks.

READ | SPRINGBOKS WILL NOT WEAR CONTROVERSIAL NEW JERSEY IN END-OF-YEAR TESTS

Despite the Boks’ success against the British & Irish Lions earlier this year, that sequence of results ramped up the pressure on the team, with plenty of criticism aimed specifically at a style of play that was widely labelled as overly conservative and far too reliant on kicking.

However, in the Springboks’ final Rugby Championship clash, they produced a far more balanced game, catching New Zealand off guard with their speed of play and willingness to attack with greater variation.

It ultimately led to a well-deserved victory that sees the Boks head into their end-of-year Tests with a 60% win-record for the season to date, and undoubtedly brimming with confidence after reclaiming the No 1 ranking in world rugby.

READ | SPRINGBOKS V WALES: ALL THE HEAD-TO-HEAD STATS SINCE 1906!

Prior to the team’s departure for their UK tour, Kolisi shared his views on the challenges the Springboks endured in Australia, insisting that the team never lost “focus”.

“When we left the field after those losses we knew there were just small things at we needed to fix, and so we weren’t stressing. It was tough when you lose three games in a row, but we never gave up for the last game. We knew what we needed to do and how nice that flight home would be after a win.

“We were also fully aware of the how the people back in South Africa were feeling,” Kolisi added. “They always think they hurt more than us, but that’s impossible. We train every day, and there is nothing worse than seeing everything work in training, but then you just don’t get it right on game day.

“We know that people must hate that, and they should hate it. They hurt with us, and when we win, they rejoice with us too. So yes, it was tough. As rugby players, we mean so many different things to so many different people in South Africa. But when you say, ‘yes, I’m going to be a Springbok’, you take all the responsibility with you,” Kolisi concluded.

The Springboks are set to start their end-of-year tour with a clash against Wales this Saturday before facing Scotland and England.

EXPLAINER | HOW THE SPRINGBOKS CAN REGAIN THE NO 1 RANKING ON SATURDAY