There were plenty of light-hearted moments during Siya Kolisi’s captain’s press conference ahead of Saturday’s crunch Rugby Championship match between the Springboks and the All Blacks.
There were plenty of laughter when Kolisi said he won’t be wearing a protective mask to shield his broken nose, or when he said “no comment” to suggestions by coach Rassie Erasmus that he may end up looking like fellow Bok loose forward Kwagga Smith, who’s nose hasn’t been in the right place on his face since high school.
But Kolisi was a lot more serious when talking about their ultimate goal on Saturday - getting back the coveted Freedom Cup from the grips of the All Blacks.
The Springboks and the All Blacks play for the Freedom Cup annually, but the Boks have only managed to win it twice - once in 2004 and again in 2009.
In 2009, Peter de Villiers’ Springboks won the Freedom Cup by beating the All Blacks three in succession, with victories in Bloemfontein, Durban and Hamilton. However, since 2010, the Freedom Cup has belonged to New Zealand.
Springboks captain Siya Kolisi says beating the All Blacks and winning the Freedom Cup would be huge for the team. #RugbyChampionship@IOL @IOLsport pic.twitter.com/3OOtjeNVvK
— IG: johngoliath (@JohnGoliath82) September 6, 2024
The Springboks can win the trophy back with their fourth successive win over the All Blacks over the last 13 months. The Boks have also won six of their last eight fixtures against their great rivals.
It’s basically the only piece of the silverware Kolisi’s Springboks haven’t had their hands on since winning the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
The Springboks can also put one hand on the Rugby Championship with a win. Since the inception of the competition in 2012, they have only one an abbreviated version an 2019.
Kolisi was a major doubt going into the Saturday’s match after suffering a fractured nose in the win over the All Blacks at Ellis Park in Johannesburg.
Kolisi opted to play the match and have surgery later. On Friday, one got the feeling that this is one match - with what is at stake - that he wasn’t going to miss. But, as he so often does, he mentioned that the match is not about him, but for the entire team to achieve something great again.
“It’s not just just huge for me, it’s huge for the whole team,” said Kolisi. “We are in a place that we have never been before as a group in the Rugby Championship.
“The Freedom Cup is something we only see in pictures or when we walk past it. We have never been able to touch it, and it’s a big deal for us. Coming back to Cape Town [to play the All Blacks] after all these years is also special.
"If I wasn't okay, then I wouldn't have played, and it wouldn't have changed anything for the group. I really wanted to play the game. I wanted the opportunity, and the doctor gave me the opportunity," Kolisi added.
The Springboks let slip a golden opportunity to win the Freedom Cup and the Rugby Championship in 2022. They beat the All Blacks at the Mbombela Stadium quite comfortably, but came unstuck a week later at Ellis Park.
The All Blacks seldom lose two matches in a row, as they showed earlier in the Rugby Championship when they bounced back from a defeat against Argentina.
Highly anticipated 🍿
Rassie 𝘰![CDATA[]]>𝘯 Alles: SA All Black fans.#ForeverGreenForeverGold #Springboks pic.twitter.com/fA2rwTsgVG
Assistant coach Mzwandile Stick says they have taken the lessons from 2022 to avoid any mishaps and unforced errors on Saturday.
“We spoke about that experience and we know we can’t be too comfortable when you play against the All Blacks,” said Stick.
“We know they are going to be a desperate team. We know what happened two years ago against a quality New Zealand team. If you underestimate them, they will put you away.
“They have world-class players and a world-class coaching team. If you are not at your best on the day, they will punish you.”
@JohnGoliath82