Captain Siya Kolisi lauded the Springboks’ resilience after another thrilling victory over the All Blacks.
The Boks won 29-24 at FNB Stadium on Saturday to leave South African soil 2-1 ahead in the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series with one Test to play in Baltimore, USA, next Saturday.
The victory also saw Kolisi surpass John Smit as the Springbok skipper with the most Test wins, taking his tally to 55.
But for Kolisi, the biggest reward was giving the supporters something to celebrate after a difficult opening to the match where they lost fullback Cheslin Kolbe to injury and went down to 14 men for 10 minutes when flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu was sin-binned for a deliberate knock-on.
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“We wanted to say thank you for the whole year that you’ve been supporting us. It hasn’t always gone our way,” Kolisi told SuperSport.
“The first couple of minutes were really tough, but we could hear you and feel you behind us. Thank you for all that you do, thank you for inspiring us each and every day.
“I know Monday next week will be good in South Africa.”
It was a typically South African observation from Kolisi, with the mood of the nation often closely linked to the result on the rugby field.
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The Boks were made to work for their victory, with the All Blacks putting the hosts under enormous pressure during the opening exchanges.
Kolisi admitted the intensity was felt by the players, but praised the Boks for limiting the damage before fighting their way back into the contest.
“We’re so proud of the win today, but great game from the All Blacks. They pushed us to the limit,” he said.
“They came like a house on fire, especially in those first 25 minutes. The lungs were pumping hard, but we did so well to make sure we didn’t concede more points and then to fight back.
“The way we finished at the end was a lot better than the last two weeks.”
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Photo: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images
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