Springbok captain Siya Kolisi is prepared for a challenging encounter against the Barbarians FC as the international season kicks off on Saturday at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha
Kolisi was thrilled to be back in the green and gold jersey, and said that although many considered matches against the Barbarians as festival games, they would treat the opposition and the match in general as any other international.
“It's our opening game, and we're all excited,” said Kolisi.
“For us, it's never a festival game; we see it as a Test match. We're representing South Africa, and some guys are getting an opportunity, so we want to ensure that everything we've worked on during the off-season is put into place.
“We're preparing for the season, and a lot of us are playing for positions in the Nations Championship squad.”
Zooming in on the match itself, Kolisi said: “There's a lot of magic in the backline, and our job as a forward pack is to give them the best platform to express themselves and use their talent.
“We've got a lot of experienced guys in the pack, and many players are hungry for an opportunity in the Springbok jersey as well. That said, the focus will be on our game, and it’s important to be disciplined in what we do.”
Kolisi was delighted to take the field in his home province in the Eastern Cape and said: “I'm very excited to be here. It's been awesome seeing friends and family. It's always special coming to Gqeberha and seeing the people who came to the airport and to our team photograph, and there’s always a fantastic vibe at the stadium, so we are looking forward to it.”