'We never make excuses': Kolisi on Boks' season
REACTION: Springboks captain Siyamthanda Kolisi praised his team’s mental strength following their disruptive November Test series.
The Springboks lost their final match of the End-of-Year tour to England (26-27) following wins over Wales (23-18) and Scotland (30-15).
The defeat to England was certainly disappointing given their great fightback from 18-24 down to 26-24 with just minutes on the clock.
The loss also concluded a difficult week for the Springboks with Rassie Erasmus’ long-awaited verdict finally confirmed by World Rugby.
Erasmus was found guilty of misconduct and was suspended with immediate effect from all rugby activities for two months. He was also suspended from all match-day activities until September 30 2022.
Meanwhile, the side had to deal with Covid-19 and have been in a bubble for six months.
“It’s been a tough year for everyone. There are many people who have lost jobs, lost family members. And we have the great opportunity of playing this game.”@SiyaKolisi reflects on his side’s defeat to England and their #AutumnNationsSeries campaign. #ENGvRSA pic.twitter.com/GrwgHNu7Vn
— Autumn Nations Series (@autumnnations) November 20, 2021
Speaking during a pitchside interview, Kolisi refused to make excuses and instead praised his team for their spirit.
“We never make excuses,” Kolisi said.
“We knew what we were up against this year. I’m really proud of how the boys stood up to the challenges and we are grateful to play the game.
“It has been a tough year for everyone, many people lost their jobs, lost family members and we have a great opportunity to play the game and playing at the stadium like this has been an honour,”
When asked about Saturday’s performance against England, Kolisi said he was disappointed and laments Boks’ errors as the culprit.
“We are very disappointed with the loss,” Kolisi said.
“But it was a great game and both teams turned up.
“It’s a pity we could not finish strong but proud of the guys.
“We made a couple of mistakes and getting so close to the line but not being able to capitalise made it tough for us,”
#REACTION! @Springboks coach Jacques Nienaber reflects on Boks season and set sights on 2022.
💢 The troubling areas!
🗣️ “That’s my department and we need to fix it.”#rugby #news #Rugby #RugbyUnion #ENGvRSA https://t.co/IU4U0UpjW6— rugby365.com (@rugby365com) November 21, 2021
@rugby365com
