Springbok captain Siya Kolisi was asked a question by a surprise guest during the 2021 SA Rugby Player of the Year award press conference.

Kolisi addressed the media on Thursday after he was named SA Rugby’s Player of the Year for 2021.

The 30-year-old loose forward fended off the challenges of Springbok teammates Lukhanyo Am, Damian de Allende, Eben Etzebeth and Makazole Mapimpi to win the award.

During the online press conference, Rassie Erasmus, who recently resumed duty as SA Rugby’s director of rugby after completing part of his ban from World Rugby, asked Kolisi a question.

“What would you say to young or old players when negative stuff is said about them or when they are written off and told they shouldn’t be in the team?” Erasmus asked.

Kolisi answered by saying that players should look internally before listening to any external criticism.

“Coach, I think if you can manage to take comments on board, both the good and bad, that’s fine. But the harshest critic has to be yourself at the end of the day,” Kolisi explained. “You need to look at yourself because you know the processes and preparation required to perform at your best, and you have to ask yourself: ‘Have I worked hard enough?’

“That is the most important thing before reading any comments. Sometimes things don’t always work out exactly as you’d like, but in the Bok camp, the way we worked never changed no matter who we played against or what happened. So yes, you have to be your own biggest critic before anyone else, and sometimes you have to take criticism on the chin, see what you’ve done to prepare and perhaps what you could have done better.

“Focus on yourself, believe in yourself and realise that sometimes your form will waver,” the World Cup-winning captain added. “I experienced that before the 2019 World Cup, but you just told me to keep working hard, to get myself fit, and that the form would then return. That helped a lot.

“Sometimes you just have to go back and play club rugby or for your franchise to find a way back to playing your best.”

Photo: David Rogers/Getty Images