Kolisi upbeat despite loss
Wales prove too good for the Springboks
Springbok captain Siya Kolisi believes his team has made progress this year despite finishing the season with a 50% winning ratio.
The Boks slumped to a seventh defeat in 14 Tests this year by losing 20-11 against Wales at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on Saturday. After back-to-back wins over France and Scotland following an unlucky 12-11 loss to England in their tour opener‚ the Boks were always playing catch-up against Wales and were simply not good enough. “We are making progress and although we are nowhere near where we want to be‚ we are heading in the right direction‚” Kolisi said in Cardiff. “However‚ we have to become more consistent because you cannot win two or three matches and then lose the next few – you have to pitch up for every Test and that’s what we will have to strive for.” But the skipper didn’t elaborate on where the progress has been. In terms of results the Boks are worse off than last year under Allister Coetzee. In Coetzee’s second and final
‘‘ We’re making progress and we are heading in the right direction
year of his term, the Boks won seven of 13 Tests with four defeats and two draws, boating a 54% winning ratio. It’s hard to measure the team’s exact progress in pure results but the fact that they were in contention in almost every match they played does suggest they are slowly turning the corner.
Coach Rassie Erasmus admitted that Wales were better than the Boks. Wales scored two first-half tries – through prop Tomas Francis and wing Liam Williams – to take a 14-3 lead into the break. It was too much for the Boks to overturn against a well-organised Welsh defensive unit. “Today was perhaps the first time that I felt we were outplayed after we were always in with a chance in all our other games‚” Erasmus said.