Boks have 'matured' since defeat to NZ
WORLD CUP REACTION: Springbok captain Siya Kolisi believes his team is well-equipped to handle the pressure in their World Cup semifinal against Wales on Sunday.
The Boks opened their World Cup campaign with a 13-23 defeat to the All Blacks five weeks ago and Kolisi revealed that his team have been applying the lessons they took from that setback to get better on and off the field.
Rassie Erasmus’ side has since beaten Namibia, Italy and Canada in the pool phase before knocking out hosts Japan in a hard-fought quarterfinal win.
“The most important thing is we learned from that game [against New Zealand],” said Kolisi. “We are definitely a better team than we were at that time.
“All those errors, you can blame the referee as much as you want, but there is some stuff you want to fix as well. We’ve grown as a team. We have matured a bit more.
“We lost the first game, so we’ve been under pressure from the beginning of the World Cup. We’ve been playing play-off rugby from the beginning.
“Being here for so long has also helped us get used to the environment and know what works for you and what doesn’t while you are here.
“Our team spirit and understanding of one another as a team has also helped us a lot. We know what makes the guy next to you tick. That has been huge for us.
“There can always be improvement in everything. Our defence, our discipline can be better. You can never be satisfied in this game, as the game changes every week, as well as the opposition.
“This weekend’s opposition is really good in the air. They can kick the ball; their set-piece is very good. We can win the ball, but we have to make sure we execute afterwards.”
From one leader to another. The whole country united.
🇿🇦🏴#StrongerTogether pic.twitter.com/rkHFDbsqfa— Springboks (@Springboks) October 26, 2019
Kolisi hopes his team can emulate their legendary predecessors.
“I have seen what winning a World Cup does for our country,” said the captain
“I am old enough to remember the 2007 World Cup [he was 16] and I remember what it did for the country then and I know what it will do for the country now.
“We have many different races in our country, and we have 11 official languages,” he explained to Japanese media.
“It’s one of the positives in our country; it’s really beautiful and that’s why we’re called the Rainbow Nation.
“We have different races in the team as well, which is really beautiful, and I think it’s very important for the country for us to do well, and for us as a team.
“It just shows that when we decide to work together for one goal as a team or a country, we can make anything happen. We can achieve all our dreams or goals. That’s why we want to give our best this week and hopefully do the same in the final.”
Sources: @rugbyworldcup & @Springboks
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