Springbok captain Siya Kolisi has described the 33-7 thumping of Australia in their opening Castle Lager Rugby Championship clash at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, as a “special’ win for the squad.
The win saw the team end their losing streak in Brisbane which stretched back to 2013.
“This was an important away win for us, and a special one too. In the last few years, we didn’t start well away from home, so to get this win was special and we are really happy about earning the bonus point.
“We haven’t done well in Australia especially, so we were very focused to turn that around going into this game, even though this ground is a fortress for them, because as I said earlier in the week, we knew we couldn’t win the Castle Lager Rugby Championship here, but we could lose it here,” said an elated Kolisi.
Coach Rassie Erasmus echoed the captain’s comments.
“We are happy with the performance, but not the three yellow cards. We also didn’t cherish the ball and look after it like a piece of gold, but at times we played with good structure and intent. So, we certainly don’t want to throw points away like that,” said Erasmus.
The two however cautioned that it is too early to celebrate, ahead of their second game in Perth next weekend.
“Next week is a new Test and we want to give other players a chance, but that said we know the Australian coach Joe Schmidt and how he can turn things around. He’s only had four games with Australia, and next week is a new game and a new venue, and we are expecting a big challenge,” warned Erasmus.
