Siya Kolisi hailed a “special group” of Springboks for banding together to beat Argentina on Saturday and keep their Rugby Championship title hopes alive.
The world champions scored two tries in the final six minutes to snatch a much-needed bonus-point win over a fired-up Argentina in Buenos Aires.
Victory drew the Boks level with the All Blacks on the Rugby Championship log, but the tourists were required to produce some incredible fight to claim a 36-20 result.
The visitors went into the break 22-6 up, only for the Pumas to show their claws in the second half, before late tries from Damian de Allende and Malcolm Marx pulled the world champions over the line.
Pick your Bok MVP: Argentina vs Boks
“Our mindset was to come and get maximum points,” said Kolisi. ‘The momentum changed in the second half for them, but when we were able to keep them out of our tryline and get the penalties, the boys always believed that our game plan allows us to get opportunities like those for Malcolm and [Makazole] Mapimpi and take them.
“I think in the past couple of games that’s what has been the difference, we actually take those opportunities and nothing has changed in our game.
“We mauled, the blind was open, and Malcolm took it up, and if the blind is not open then we go to the kick or we play out wide. It was an opportunity created by the system.”
KEO: A golden moment for rugby referees
The Boks now head to Durban for the tournament finale against Los Pumas having put behind them a week coloured by off-field issues.
“It’s been a tough week,” Kolisi added. “We players, obviously we read what everyone writes and it’s hard, and some players can take it and some players can’t.
“The biggest thing that we have to do is just stick together as a group. That’s what we said to each other before we played, and we know people still want results from us no matter what you’re going through.
KEO: Ageless Steyn steps up as Marx muzzles Pumas
“So we said, ‘listen, this is what we’re going for, we want to win the Championship, no matter what is going on around us’, we gotta make sure that we stick together and we did. This is a special group, you know.
“The coaches believe in us, and we believe in ourselves, and we have ambitions of doing much more. I’ve heard the match in Durban is sold out and we are excited to get home for a big game next week. We are looking forward to it.”
ALSO: Japanese club ‘gatvol’ of Jantjies
Photo: Marcelo Endelli/Getty Images
