Siya Kolisi: History will inspire Boks at FNB Stadium

Springbok captain Siya Kolisi and assistant coach Mzwandile Stick said facing the All Blacks at the FNB Stadium, a stone’s throw from Soweto – which played a big part in shaping the history of South Africa – on Saturday would serve as additional inspiration when the Boks take the field, a few hours after the Springbok Women and Black Ferns clash on a momentous day at the same venue.

South Africa and New Zealand are currently level on one win apiece in the four-Test Castle Double Malt Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry, with the final clash scheduled for Baltimore in the USA next week Saturday.

Both Kolisi and Stick emphasised the importance of doing their utmost to win this match and step onto the airplane hours after the match with a two-one lead to stay in the running to win the series. Fuelling their motivation, the match will mark the Boks’ last game on home soil this year.

“So many things that happened in Soweto helped shape the South Africa we have today,” said Kolisi.

“So many heroes have come from there, and a lot of the football history of this country is from Soweto, so we know how special that is.

“We’re not going to act like it’s not a special ground in a significant area. All of that gives us more to play for. We are also thankful for the people who came from there and fought for people like me and Stick to be sitting here today.

“They fought for the freedom we have now and never got to experience it, and giving our best tomorrow is part of us saying thank you. Hopefully we can do that with a win and change the history between the two teams there.”

Kolisi elaborated on those remarks, saying: “Obviously what we’d like to achieve is to win. We’d like to say thank you to the people of South Africa.

“It hasn't always been easy. We didn’t win the first Test, but the numbers that showed up at the stadium and the vibe was fantastic, and we felt it and saw it. Even the people who can’t come to the stadium, see us while we are driving on the bus to ground and get up and scream, which has been very special.

“This is the memory the people of South Africa will remember, and hopefully we can give them a good one because we want to say thank you, not just in words but through our efforts tomorrow.”

Stick agreed whole-heartedly with Kolisi and said: “Personally, I see this game as an opportunity for the players to create their own history. Every stadium in South Africa has its own unique history and we try to protect that. Ellis Park and the DHL Stadium are two of them, and now we are playing at the FNB Stadium.

“It’s a football stadium, but can you imagine getting South Africans from all around the country together in Soweto. Driving past the tents and seeing how they are preparing for the game is something else.

“For the guys playing now, almost none of them have played there before, so it’s an opportunity to create their own history, and that excites me.”

Commenting on the importance of registering a victory this weekend, Kolisi said: “We lost the first match and had to dig our way back and fight to win the second one, so tomorrow we want to give ourselves the best possible chance to try to win the series. We do not want to play for a draw in the series.

“We have a lot to defend, not just the trophy for the tournament, but also the Freedom Cup, which we’d like to keep, so we are not taking it lightly. Our ultimate goal is to win the series, while we are well aware of what their motivation is. We also want to protect what we stand for as South Africans.”

Zooming in on the match, Stick expected a fierce encounter against the All Blacks with both teams being desperate to win this match, and he stressed the importance of accurate execution as one of the keys to earning the desired result.

“The message from their side is clear – they say how they want to play and then they play that way,” said Stick.

“We can all see that New Zealand want to maximise ball-in-play time. They want to keep the ball in hand, and if you look at their personnel, it’s clear they want more ball carriers who can keep the ball alive.

“That said, the one thing I enjoy about where we are is that we have our own DNA. They’re not going to change their DNA for the weather or anything else. They’ll still try to enforce it on us, and we’ll do the same.

“The team that creates opportunities and turns them into points has a better chance to win. So, we know they’re going to come hard at the breakdowns and target that area.

“And if we create opportunities, we have to be clinical. The team that puts everything together and executes it well, will stand the best chance of winning tomorrow.”

Kolisi, who has a deep passion for the Bok Women’s team and women’s sport in general, was thrilled that the Springbok Women would play a curtain raiser for the match against the New Zealand Black Ferns.

“It’s special and exciting – it’s been awesome to see how excited the girls are to play tomorrow,” said Kolisi.

“I’ve really enjoyed seeing how many All Blacks fans have enjoyed South Africa on this tour. Their people are getting to experience our country, our mood, and what rugby means here, and now the women get to experience that as well.

“The Black Ferns have won the Rugby World Cup, and they’ve been one of the most successful teams for a very long time, so, it’s going to be a great game alongside ours.

“Babalwa (Latsha, Springbok Women’s captain) is really looking forward to it, and the more people we can get to that game, the better. The more we support the women’s game, the bigger our sport grows. So, it’s not just the women’s game, it's our game as a whole.”