Captain Siya Kolisi says experience will count for nothing unless the Springboks turn the lessons from their Ellis Park defeat into action against the All Blacks in Cape Town on Saturday.
The Boks trail 1-0 in the four-Test Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series after losing 33-16 last weekend.
The Boks have been in similar positions before, including during their run to the 2019 World Cup title, and Kolisi believes the squad has the experience to deal with the setback.
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“They’re all important, but we all know this is a four-game series, so it’s important for us to get this win this weekend,” Kolisi told the media on Friday.
“It’s not just me. We’ve all been in this position before, with the Lions, with the World Cup, losing the first game, and I think we know how to handle the situation.
“But now what’s most important is actually on the field itself. We need to go and play and execute.”
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The Boks reviewed the Ellis Park defeat during the week, with Kolisi saying the focus was on the chances they failed to convert rather than simply dwelling on the 17-point margin.
“When we watched the game afterwards, we watched it as rugby players with the coaching staff. We looked at the score – yes, it was a big scoreline – but we looked at the opportunities we missed,” he said.
“If we had got those opportunities, maybe things would have been different.”
The Bok team to run out at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday will be one of the most experienced ever, featuring four centurions in Eben Etzebeth, Kolisi, Damian de Allende and the latest to join the club, Pieter-Steph du Toit.
“We’re lucky to have such experience, but experience means nothing if you don’t learn from the mistakes that you make,” said Kolisi.
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Springbok assistant coach Mzwandile Stick echoed that determination.
“The biggest thing for me is that we always just want to do our best to make sure that we represent our country very well,” he said.
“We were disappointed last week with the way the result went, so we’ll do everything in our power to turn things around.”
Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images
The post Kolisi: Experienced Boks must execute appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Captain Siya Kolisi says experience will count for nothing unless the Springboks turn the lessons from their Ellis Park defeat into action against the All Blacks in Cape Town on Saturday.
The post Kolisi: Experienced Boks must execute appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
