Springbok captain Siya Kolisi praised his team’s resilience and composure following a thrilling come-from-behind 31-27 victory over the New Zealand All Blacks in the Castle Lager Rugby Championship match held at Emirates Airline Park on Saturday.
Trailing by 10 points with just 10 minutes remaining, the Springboks showcased their never-say-die attitude as replacement players Kwagga Smith and Grant Williams crossed the try line to secure a memorable win in front of 60,000 fans.
The All Blacks had scored four tries to South Africa’s three, including a crucial try from hooker Bongi Mbonambi. Despite holding the lead for only nine minutes throughout the match, the Springboks’ late surge proved decisive.
“Whenever we are behind, we never panic,” Kolisi stated after the match, reflecting on the calmness displayed by his team in high-pressure situations. Kolisi, who left the field for a head injury assessment and a suspected fractured cheekbone, emphasized the team’s experience in dealing with adversity.
“We have been in far worse positions before and have come back. When they scored first in the second half to put New Zealand 19-11 ahead, we came together and said, ‘cool, amazing, they’ve scored an intercept try, let’s go to the next set.’ Nobody panicked.”
Kolisi credited the team’s leadership group, including Eben Etzebeth and Pieter-Steph du Toit, for maintaining focus and clarity in critical moments.
“We have so many cool heads and leaders; if I’m not talking, Eben’s talking, or if it’s not him, it’s Pieter-Steph, or even the young guys with just a couple of caps,” Kolisi added.
“They’re given the license by the coach to speak because rugby knowledge isn’t measured by the number of caps you have – if you see something, say it. That’s the great thing about this team today: we never panicked.”
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus also expressed his relief at securing the win, acknowledging the All Blacks’ strong performance. “I think the guys did really well to pull off a victory against a New Zealand team that played really well and dominated the whole game,” Erasmus said.
“At one point, they were three tries up and looking like getting five points, and our focus was on stopping them from getting the bonus point. New Zealand would have been deserving if they had won.”
Erasmus was particularly impressed with the contributions of newer players such as Aphelele Fassi and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, who faced the intense pressure of playing against one of the world’s top teams.
“We wanted to see how the newer players could handle the occasion and the pressure, and Aphelele Fassi came through with flying colours,” Erasmus noted. “Sacha came through as well. To play New Zealand is big; to beat New Zealand is big, and for players to step up against Tier One nations like Ireland and against an amazing New Zealand team is really good for our long-term plans.”
The victory leaves the Springboks as the only undefeated team in the Rugby Championship after three rounds. However, Erasmus remained focused on the immediate future, particularly the return Test against the All Blacks next week at DHL Stadium in Cape Town.
“This puts us in a good position in the Rugby Championship, but we don’t know what Australia and Argentina are going to do,” Erasmus commented.
“Winning the Castle Lager Rugby Championship is very important, and I would definitely love to win it, but we will definitely move players around next week. Everything didn’t go right today, and we’ll have a look at why we didn’t get out of our half at stages and why we didn’t capitalize on chances a few times. Our focus is only on next week.”
With this win, the Springboks have demonstrated their depth and determination, setting the stage for an exciting continuation of the Rugby Championship as they prepare for another intense clash with their fierce rivals, the All Blacks.
