Springbok captain Siya Kolisi says the team will take extra motivation from playing for Jannie du Plessis and his family when they take on England at Twickenham on Saturday.

Du Plessis, the 39-year-old former Springbok prop, suffered a tragedy this week when he lost his one-year-old son in a drowning accident on Tuesday.

The Lions player had represented the Boks 70 times, but also had a solid record against England, winning six of the seven matches he played against them.

Tributes have flooded in for the Du Plessis family from across the rugby world, with England and New Zealand Rugby also expressing their condolences.

Ahead of the Boks’ match against England, Kolisi said the team’s thoughts are with Du Plessis and his family.

“It’s been the talk of the week and it’s really been tough,” Kolisi said.

“The guys who have been close to him have been speaking to him and they have been thinking about his family.

“It makes you think of your own family. It’s really tough, but our thoughts are with them.

“It does give us motivation and even though it won’t make much of a difference for him, but we will play for him and his family. He is a Springbok legend.”