Boks will ‘give it everything’ for fans, says captain Kolisi

Covid-19 is raging around Gauteng, but Siya Kolisi says the Springboks feel safe in their encampment at a Johannesburg hotel/bio-bubble and they are eager to once again put smiles on the faces of their supporters who are going through so much in their day-to-day lives.

Friday’s Test against Georgia in Pretoria is the Springboks’ first since Kolisi led them to a memorable World Cup triumph in the final against England in Yokohama in November 2019. Since then the coronavirus has infiltrated every aspect of South African life and Kolisi knows his team can give people some respite from the slow vaccination programme, service delivery failures, water and electricity crises, Zuma’s attack on the constitution and the dire economy.

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“We are being kept informed of what is happening around us and we know the number of Covid infections is climbing, but basically we are just staying at our hotel and just concentrating on our rugby,” Kolisi said.

“We are keeping safe and we want to make sure we make the most of the opportunity we have to play. When we play, it feels good for our fans and hopefully we can add to that.

“We want to put smiles on the faces of people. We are privileged and fortunate to be doing what we love to do, so we are going to give it everything and play as hard and for as long as we can.”

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One should not expect the Springbok game to be adorned with fancy jewellery against Georgia, a workmanlike side that loves to make rugby a war of attrition.

The home team will not want to buckle and they have to do the hard yards first before trying any of the pretty stuff against the world’s 12th-ranked team.

“We all have to make sure we do our part – ‘know your job, do your job’ – and hopefully we can make a statement,” Kolisi said.

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“Like a circus act, everyone can hopefully show why they have been picked in the team and we won’t beat Georgia without the unseen warrior work like cleaning rucks. We need to do the stuff that nobody except the coaches and the team sees.

“For the Springboks to actually get out on to the field is huge for us because we’ve been talking about it since last year, when we thought we would get the opportunity to play.

“Every team has had to adapt to Covid, but we’re only coming together now, so there’s great excitement and it’s awesome that so many players from the World Cup are still with us.”