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KOLISI: SIMPLY CANNOT BE ONCE-OFF BOK PERFORMANCE
After an absolutely clinical performance from the Springboks saw them dish out a ninetry 63-21 thrashing to Italy at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris Stadium in Genoa on Saturday, captain Siya Kolisi said it can’t be a once-off performance.
The Boks have struggled for consistency and being clinical and taking their chances in games over the international season so far, which saw them head into the Italian match with a win-loss record of six to five.
However the team seemed to click brilliantly in the second half against the hosts, after the Boks managed to negotiate a tricky first half against the wind, taking a 18-13 lead into the break.
They unleashed in the second half to out-score the Italians by seven tries to one and powered away for the win.
“That (taking our chances) is something we have struggled with throughout the year and I thought the mindset of the guys when we got into those zones was very good,” said Kolisi.
“We said we didn’t get second opportunities anymore, we had to make sure that we made them work and I thought the guys bought into that well, it was really good for the backs.
“But this is something that we are going to have to be consistent on. One week is not good enough. We are going to have to do it again next week against England.”
It was also an impressive statement from the Boks, who managed to shake off tight losses against Ireland and France, and then rise above a very disruptive week in which Pieter-Steph du Toit received a ban for his red card against the French.
SA Rugby Director of Rugby Rassie Erasmus was then banned by World Rugby for his provocative tweets, apparently aimed at refereeing inconsistencies, although that is something he denied.
“It was a big game for us and Italy is an amazing team. The way we prepared, we gave them the respect they deserved. They are a different team to what they were a couple of years ago and we had to play to the best of our abilities,” admitted Kolisi.
“You saw it was tight in the first half and we had to dig deep. These things happen (outside distractions). We face adversity all the time. We come from a country where adversity is always there and we have to use certain things to lift us back up.
“Our focus was on the game. The worst could have happened in the week but we still kept focused on the game because it was so important for us to get a win.”