Springbok captain Siya Kolisi was humbled by the performance against Wales and praised his teammates for making his job easier, as well as the structures the coaches have put in place to ensure the team delivers its best performances on the field.
“I have so many guys around me, and we have a lot of them who have captained the team,” said Kolisi.
“So, when I go onto the field, I don’t have much to worry about. The way that coach Rassie created the structure within the team, we have so many guys who are leaders in their own right.”
“The stuff off the field and feeling the team’s energy is what I really focus on, so I don’t do it alone. We draw energy from one another, and there’s so much good happening in our country and sport.”
Kolisi stated that the team's primary motivation is the people of South Africa, seeing it as a "privilege to play as hard as we can so that there is something to smile about, to give people going through hopeless situations at home hope".
Kolisi also expressed respect for the Welsh team and their fans, acknowledging that South Africa had experienced similar tough times in the past and backing coach Warren Gatland to turn their fortunes around.
“We had a plan, and we respected Wales. We tried not to play in our half at all. We wanted to play in their half. They made more tackles because we played most of the game there, but it wasn’t easy. We had to fight for everything.”
He also hit out at the "negativity" surrounding the scheduling of the match outside the international window, arguing that playing against top teams, even with an inexperienced squad, is the only way for a team to improve and build depth.
“The only way for a team to get better is to play against the best. Next year, when their young guys come through, they’ve already faced the team at the top. Welsh people are fighting people. They don’t stand down for anybody.”
“We’ve been through this too. In 2015, a lot of guys retired, and we struggled. People burnt our jerseys. Nobody wanted to watch us. Then Coach Rassie came and made a plan. The players will fight, the coaching staff will make a plan.”