Siya: Monday will be a good day in SA

Siya Kolisi has lauded the Springboks’ resilience after another thrilling victory over the All Blacks in Johannesburg.

The Boks edged the All Blacks 29-24 at FNB Stadium on Saturday to leave South African soil 2-1 ahead with one Test in the series left to play in Baltimore, USA next Saturday.

MORE: Boks, All Blacks suffer big injury blows

The victory also saw Kolisi surpass John Smit as the Springbok captain with the most Test wins, taking his tally to 55. But for Kolisi, the biggest reward was giving the supporters something to celebrate after a difficult opening to the match where they lost fullback Cheslin Kolbe to injury and went down to 14-men for ten minutes when flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu was sin-binned for a deliberate knock-on.

“We wanted to say thank you for the whole year that you’ve been supporting us. It hasn’t always gone our way,” Kolisi told SuperSport.

“The first couple of minutes were really tough, but we could hear you and feel you behind us. Thank you for all that you do, thank you for inspiring us each and every day.

“I know Monday next week will be good in South Africa.”

HOOKER: I love playing the All Blacks

It was a typically South African observation from the Bok skipper, with the mood of the nation often closely linked to the result on the rugby field. The Boks were made to work for their victory, with the All Blacks racing into the contest and putting the hosts under enormous pressure during the opening exchanges.

Kolisi admitted the intensity was felt by the players, but praised the Boks for limiting the damage before fighting their way back into the contest.

“We’re so proud of the win today, but great game from the All Blacks. They pushed us to the limit,” he said.

“They came like a house on fire, especially in those first 25 minutes. The lungs were pumping hard, but we did so well to make sure we didn’t concede more points and then also we fought back. The way we finished at the end was a lot better than the last two weeks,” he said.

PICK YOUR MVP: Boks vs All Blacks

Photo: Johan Orton/Gallo Images

The post Siya: Monday will be a good day in SA appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.