Springboks will ‘give it their all’ for fans, says captain Kolisi

The Springboks are eager to get their incoming series off to the perfect start with a win over Wales at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday (kick-off 5.05pm) and are planning to do it for the 50 000 fans at the stadium and millions around the country who are supporting them.

Captain Siya Kolisi couldn’t hide his excitement at finally getting to play in front of a full house in South Africa for the first time as world champions, and explained that was the biggest motivation for the team to put in a massive performance.

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“That’s something we are all excited about as a team. I think the last time we played at Loftus was against Argentina before the (2019) World Cup. People have been missing seeing us play and we have been missing the people as well,” said Kolisi.

“This is our first game this year. We want to make sure that we start off well and we want to make everybody proud that comes out tomorrow.

“It is so important for us to have people back this weekend and to play in front of a sold out crowd. That’s what we mean to people and we don’t take that for granted at all. We want to represent every single person in that crowd and that’s why we will give it our all.”

Desperate side

Wales will be heading into the game as a desperate side, having had a difficult season so far, finishing second from bottom in the Six Nations, losing to Italy and dropping to ninth in the World Rugby rankings.

That is why they are expected to be a dangerous prospect and Kolisi admitted that the Boks would give the visitors the respect they deserved.

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“Wales are a tough team and they don’t stop for 80 minutes. We know that as a team. They will stand up to us for the whole 80 minutes, so when we get our opportunities we have to take them,” said Kolisi.

“You saw in the (World Cup) semifinals it went down to the wire, it was so close. We have a similar game plan and a similar way of playing and they are a tough team that has gone through a lot.

“So that’s what we are preparing for. We know they are going to match us physically. The set piece is going to be important. Kicking high balls, they are going to get in the air, it’s all about who is going to pick up the scraps.

“They are not going to be scared or anything like that. We respect them a lot and that’s why we have prepared as well as we can for this weekend and we have to make sure that we pitch up with the right attitude.”