‘They are the team we haven’t beaten’ — Kolisi’s Boks target Ireland scalp

Springbok captain Siya Kolisi admitted his team were eager to achieve a win over Ireland in their opening clash of the Incoming Series at Loftus on Saturday, as that is one thing the current crop of Boks and management team have yet to accomplish. Kick-off is 5pm.

When Rassie Erasmus initially took over in 2018 and the current group of players came together, very few would have imagined the amazing success that they would have over the next six years.

Two World Cup titles, a British and Irish Lions series win and triumph in the Rugby Championship are the major achievements in that time.

Irish win

But the one thing that has eluded them is a win over Ireland, who in that same time have also enjoyed major success winning multiple Six Nations titles and rising to the top of the world rugby rankings.

So the Boks are now looking to tick that one off their list as they aim to break a three match losing streak against them that stretches back to 2017.

“It’s about winning this Test match. That’s what we want to do. As a group (since 2018), this is the only team we haven’t beaten. Everybody else, we’ve been able to beat,” explained Kolisi at the Boks pre-match presser on Friday afternoon.

“It’s important for us. It’s like when we lost against Japan in 2015. Then we had that game (against Japan) just before the (2019) World Cup, just to get the monkey off the back.

“It’s a Test match, but it’s a big one. We are at home, against the team that’s at number two in the world, and they’ve been one of the best (teams) for the last couple of years. It is big.

“There’s no use saying, ‘Ag, it’s just another game’. No, it’s an important game and I know it will be for them too.”

Sold out crowd

The Boks are also excited to be able to play in front of a sold-out home crowd soon after becoming world champions, after they were robbed of that by Covid in 2020, and having to play the 2021 British and Irish Lions series behind closed doors.

“Just to be able to come home and play for the people and the country who we have been playing for all along is very special,” said Kolisi.

“This is the first time that we can play for them (at home) since becoming world champions, and it’s a big game against a team that we haven’t beaten since 2016, so that is very exciting.

“Everybody has been talking about it, but there is not much more to say, it’s all down to tomorrow (Saturday). Everything has been said and if you don’t deliver (in the game), that’s what matters the most. We are both (Boks and Ireland) excited for the game.”