‘First the Rugby Championship, then we celebrate Eben,’ says Kolisi

Springbok captain Siya Kolisi says the world champions are laser focused on sealing the Rugby Championship first, and will only then celebrate Eben Etzebeth’s Test caps record milestone, when they take on Argentina in the final game of the competition at the Mbombela Stadium on Saturday (kick-off 5pm).

With second row enforcer Etzebeth set to break legend Victor Matfield’s record and become the most capped Springbok of all time with 128 caps, it has threatened to overshadow the importance of wrapping up the competition first.

However, Kolisi claims that the whole team and Etzebeth himself are more interested in securing the title, and after that they can celebrate the incredible milestone.

We want to win

“That’s what we want and that’s what Eben wants too. To win the Rugby Championship. We have never won a full Rugby Championship as this group. The one we won was a single round,” explained Kolisi at the captains press conference on Friday.

“That’s our biggest motivation for the game. Then we will celebrate his milestone. Without that (the title), it’s going to be a damp mood in the camp. So we just want to win the Rugby Championship.”

Despite the Boks being five points ahead of Los Pumas, and an unlikely result needed for the South American’s to steal the title from under their nose, they can’t underestimate their opposition.

Kolisi believes that they have to respect what is in front of them and admits that they are a lot more prepared for this weekend’s clash than they were for last week’s game in Santiago.

“We have to respect the team that we are playing and we have. We saw what they can do last week. A lot has changed for them, they have a lot of belief in themselves and the coach is changing and doing things differently,” said Kolisi.

“The way he has picked his team for this weekend, putting most of the experienced guys on the bench. Obviously there is a plan behind that.

“We are more prepared to face them this week than we were last week, because we played against a lot of guys we hadn’t played before in the past.

“We have seen what their new guys can do, because they did make a big impact. Some of the guys have come from the sevens circuit and we got to see how they play and we have watched more clips of them. So this week we have no excuse, as we have prepared thoroughly.”

Special place

The Mbombela Stadium is a special place for Kolisi, who made his debut at the ground against Scotland back in 2013, and when he came onto the field as a sub he was welcomed by Etzebeth.

He now has a chance to return the favour for his long time friend, and he is looking forward to being a part of what is set to be a special day.

“The first person welcoming me onto the field (on my debut) was Eben. It was a special moment for me and this weekend is a special moment for him. So I am so grateful that I can be part of this game,” admitted Kolisi.

“I am so excited to play with him this weekend. I know he doesn’t want anything to be about him. The best way for us to celebrate him as a team is for us to play well and win. I think that is what he will be proud of the most. To drink out of that trophy on Saturday.”