On-the-job learning tests new Springboks captain

By his own admission, Siya Kolisi’s still got a lot to learn.

Just six games into his tenure as Springboks captain, Kolisi says he is still learning the ropes. Whether it be instilling confidence in his team-mates after defeats or his dealings with referees when questioning on-field decisions, his new role brings added responsibility.

‘‘Some of the decisions, it’s either we lose the test match or win so I’ve got to make sure that if I’m 100 per cent sure that something happened, I must put my authority in and say something,’’ Kolisi said.

‘‘But at the end of day if I go to the ref and he doesn’t want to argue, then I can’t control what he does. All I can do is try and get him to do something about it or look at it and think about it for the next time. But as I say I’m learning.’’

The flanker is still learning about how to beat the All Blacks too, having lost all four of his matches against New Zealand.

‘‘No matter what the consequences are, as long as we walk off the field and we can look at each other in the eye and we can say we’ve given it our best shot. That’s what he [coach Rassie Erasmus] wants from us,’’ he said. ‘‘You can have the best game ever and sometimes things don’t go your way. All he wants is that we trust the process, we trust the system, and what we’ve planed to do and play to our potential.

‘‘It’s always big for us to play New Zealand. They’ve dominated a lot in recent years but we obviously know it’s a big game between us two and we want to give it our best shot.’’

Kolisi created history when he led the Springboks against England earlier this year, becoming the first black player to captain South Africa in a rugby test. But he said as honoured as he is to lead his country, he never set out to become Springboks captain. He simply just wanted to make the team.

‘‘It’s not something you think about every day. Even now that I’m older, you don’t wake up and say ‘I wish I could become Springboks captain’.

‘‘All you want to do is put on the Springboks jersey but now that I’ve been given this responsibility it’s a great honour and a great privilege.

‘‘But you’ve got to lift yourself, even if you’re disappointed. When the team looks to you, they must see a confident guy that wants to take on whatever is coming their way. The one thing I like about myself is I’m not scared to learn from others who have been there or are more experienced than I am. I’m not scared of that.’’

While it’s been a difficult start to the Rugby Championship, registering just one win from the first three games, Kolisi doesn’t believe his team is far off where they need to be – they just need to be a bit more clinical, particularly against a team as good as the All Blacks.

‘‘You can have the best game ever and sometimes things don’t go your way.’’

Siya Kolisi