Siya Kolisi says the Springbok pack was delighted to watch the playmakers carve up England in the historic victory at Twickenham on Saturday. DYLAN JACK reports.
Tries from Kurt-Lee Arendse and Eben Etzebeth either side of half-time guided the Springboks to a first win over England at Twickenham in eight years, with Damian Willemse adding two drop goals.
REPORT: Arendse steers Boks to historic Twickenham win
Arendse’s try – his seventh in seven Test matches – came as the Boks were leading 6-3 in the first half. The score started with Damian Willemse collecting an aerial inside his own 22 and combining with Willie le Roux to launch a magnificent counter attack, which had Kolisi purring in the post-match press conference.
“Today was a perfect example of what we are trying to achieve. We go into a kicking shape, but then we are also able to play,” said Kolisi.
“That’s what happened today. Guys like Gaza, Willie and Kurt-Lee, when they see an opportunity, with their skills, they are capable of doing things like that.
“They are allowed to. That’s why they get chosen. In this system, you have to work hard for each other and then the rest is then up to you. It was beautiful to see, for the pack of forwards. We were happy. It’s important that we can also show that side of us. I am proud of what Kurt-Lee did today and it’s been two weeks in a row that he’s been good.”
MORE: Glorious Bok finish to an inglorious year
The Springboks were forced into defensive mode after Thomas du Toit was red-carded for a dangerous tackle in the 60th minute, but shut down wave after wave of England attack, with the hosts only managing to score one try in the final 20 minutes.
“What I said last week is that there is nothing we haven’t faced this year. We’ve had a red card before so we were prepared for this,” explained Kolisi. “I told the guys to just work harder for one another, but they already knew that.
“Having eight forwards made it easier for us. It was a great call from the coaches, because we knew it was going to be a big contest at the scrums. We decided to just stay out of the breakdown, only the guys who could have a go like Malcolm [Marx] and Steven Kitshoff got stuck in. We were prepared for it.”
EDDIE JONES: Boks too tough for England
The result saw the Springboks finish their year on a high with back-to-back victories, in which they showed good variation between their traditional strengths and innovative counter-attacking.
Kolisi said the team is in a good place going into 2023, when they will be expected to defend their World Cup title in France.
“I’ve been in teams where it’s just been horrible. You don’t know who to look at. The great thing about when the coaches started in 2018, they came with a plan but they also allowed us to have our say. It was a collective thing. That’s what I love about this group. Everyone is working together and finding that synergy is critical. Everybody is allowed to speak, whether it’s your first cap or you have no caps, you have a place to speak.
“We are really enjoying it. We have to enjoy moments like this. You don’t know if you are going to make it into the World Cup [squad]. This could be some guy’s last game. We will enjoy tonight.”
Photo: Shutterstock/BackpagePix
