‘We have to take our chances,’ says Springbok captain Siya Kolisi
· Citizen
The Springboks are aiming for a much more clinical showing when they face the All Blacks in the second Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Test at the Cape Town Stadium on Saturday evening (kick-off 5:10pm).
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The Boks went down in the opener at Ellis Park last weekend, 33-16, after the All Blacks produced a finishing clinic, as they ran in five tries to one despite having less 22m entries than the home side.
Captain Siya Kolisi, who is back from injury to lead the side on Saturday, highlighted the importance of converting the Boks’ dominance.
“It was a big scoreline, but we looked at what we missed, all the opportunities. If we had converted those, maybe things would have been different,” said Kolisi at the captain’s press conference on Friday afternoon.
“We’re lucky to have the experience (of playing difficult games), but experience means nothing if you don’t learn from the mistakes that you made the week before.
“If we create as many opportunities as we did last week, we must take as many of them as possible. That is the biggest factor for me from last week. The All Blacks didn’t have many, but they took their chances when they were there.
“And I think that’s the important thing. The amount of dominance we had in the first half, and we had nothing to really show for it, that is the most important thing (to fix). It’s a new game.”
Added pressure
Adding pressure to the match is that it is a must-win if the Boks still want to harbour hopes of winning the series, as a loss would mean they would only be playing for a draw over the final two matches.
However, Kolisi said they had plenty experience of playing must-win games and were confident of bouncing back.
“It’s important, it’s very important, and they are all important (every game from here on). We know this is a four-game series. It is my first time in a four-match series, we’ve heard of them and know they have been played before but this is a first as far as playing in one is concerned,” explained Kolisi.
“But we have all been in this position before and we know how to handle it. We were 1-0 down against the (British & Irish) Lions, we lost the opening game of the 2019 World Cup, and we came back and were successful.
“Having done it before does inspire you with confidence. We know what to do and we know a big part of the battle is in the mind. We know our minds and what that is capable of, but the most important thing is what we do on the field.”