Boks rewrite history with Rugby Championship win
Bok captain Siya Kolisi lifts the trophy after the Springboks beat Argentina at The Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, south-west London on Saturday.
Image: AFP
The Springboks return to South Africa today as Rugby Championship winners for the second year in a row, thanks to an unshakeable belief that they will win matches, according to captain Siya Kolisi.
The Boks beat Argentina 29-27 in London at the weekend to win a tournament that started badly for the South Africans.
“After the way we started (with a shock loss to Australia at Ellis Park), you would not have said we would be here now with the trophy,” Kolisi smiled.
“But the belief we have in ourselves is because of what coach Rassie (Erasmus) has instilled into this team. The mindset he has created means you don’t feel in any moment that you are going to lose.”
Kolisi and his teammates are the first Springboks to win back-to-back Championship titles since the tournament started in 1996, which has been heavily dominated by the Boks’ arch-rivals, New Zealand.
The World Cup winning Boks had to overcome an Argentina team that has been in red-hot form this year, and has beaten New Zealand, Australia, and the British and Irish Lions.
“I’m so proud of our boys,” Kolisi said. “It is the fight we show every week.
“It doesn’t always go our way, but we are always able to find another gear that sees us fighting until the end.
“If we can make South Africans feel good, even for a moment, we take that with us. No matter where you are in our country, you are represented by this team.”
Erasmus added, “We are thrilled to rewrite history by being the first Springbok team to win back-to-back Rugby Championship titles.”
Kolisi said that the team’s refusal to lose is what makes it special: “We know how to fight as a team and to dig deep, and that’s all thanks to coach Rassie in the way he changed our mindset.
“This team has done a lot for South Africa, and I’m proud of the group and the coaches. They always come up with new ideas, and as players, we adapt and accept that.
“This Rugby Championship was tough, and anyone could have won it, so to be able to lift the trophy for the second time in a row is amazing for us and our country. We are very grateful for the support from all our people at home.”
The Boks’ two-try hero, Malcolm Marx, added: “It’s a bit surreal to be honest.
"I’m extremely grateful for everything that has happened over the past few weeks, the lessons learned, and the victories that we’ve had. What we’ve achieved will probably sink in over the next few days. But there’s still a lot of hard work ahead to improve ourselves.”