‘Boks well rested and ready to begin their Rugby Championship’

Springbok captain, Siya Kolisi, says his side is well rested and ready to begin their Rugby Championship campaign against Australia in Brisbane on Saturday morning. Kolisi believes the Boks have cracked the travel conundrum, which for years set them on the backfoot when starting a tour of Australia.

The Springbok captain also wished the women of South Africa a very happy Women’s Day, saying that he wouldn’t be where he is without the love and support of his grandmother and his wife.

The Springboks departed for Australia a week and a half ago, and it was planned that way to give the squad time to acclimatise and beat the jet lag.

For years, South African sides, both national and at franchise level, struggled with travelling to Australasia, but now Bok captain, Siya Kolisi, believes the team has mastered the art of travel and is in a space where they are sleeping better, they are more alert at training and able to step away from the game when need be.

“Training has gone really well. We have been sharp at training and I think it is the way to go. It is so much better for us as players. We don’t have to worry about sleep anymore. Everything is in tune. It has been really good and also getting time off to go out because it can’t always be rugby. There has to be a place where we can switch off, you can go and have coffee outside and walk around. It has been really good for the players,” says Kolisi.

The Springbok coaching staff has also been quick to manage expectations regarding this current Australian outfit. Looking past the Wallaby resurgence after a woeful World Cup campaign, Assistant Coach Mwzandile Stick was quick to relate the Springbok’s experience of playing downunder, simply put, coach Stick believes if the Boks don’t pitch up, they will be punished.

“Normally, when we played against Australia here in Brisbane, we don’t really pitch up physically and then we don’t normally execute our plans and that’s one thing you can’t afford to do against a team like Australia, because they have got players with a huge X factor in that team. So, on the day, if you are not at your best those players are good enough to punish you,” says Stick.

Kolisi also had a special message to all sportswomen in the country, pledging his support and promising to use his platform to advocate for more resources to be put into women’s sports.

“In sport too, we need to support a bit more. I need to use my platform to make sure I encourage the women that are playing because, obviously, in sport they are not supported enough. And I think we, as men in sport, can do so much more in just using our platform and using our voice, but I just want to say thank you for everything women do and happy Women’s Day. I hope it’s a special one. It should be like this each and every single day they should be celebrated.”

The two matches against Australia in Australia will set the tone for the Springboks’ Rugby Championship campaign, and it all starts at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, which is by far and away the least-favoured ground historically for the Green and Gold.

Rugby Championship | Boks vow to not look past Wallabies: