Durban — Siya Kolisi says that if he plays as poorly as he did last week for the Sharks against the Scarlets then he will not make the Springbok World Cup team.
The Sharks and Springbok captain was frank in his assessment of his game in Wales and also of his teammates as the Springbok-laden Sharks sunk without trace against the 14th-placed URC team.
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“At our recent camps the (Bok) coaches told us what is expected of us as we build up to the World Cup,” Kolisi said. The most important message we received is that every one of us has to work ourselves into the team — nobody is guaranteed a place in the Springbok team.
“We do not know what that side is going to look like,” the captain added. “For me, it is about making sure I don’t play like I did last week. I have to be better this week against Munster to show I really want to get into the Bok side.”
There were eight starting Springboks in the Sharks side that lost 32-20 to an average Scarlets side and when Kolisi was asked if the problem was rustiness, he laughed it off.
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“No ... That was absolute nonsense we put out there,” he said candidly. “We are not at all happy with that. We are disappointed with ourselves. It was one of those games where we have to make peace with what we did and then ensure we move on to the next game with a very different attitude.”
These comments suggest Munster could be in for a torrid time on Saturday in Hollywoodbets Kings Park. The Sharks are not only in a mean mood but they also know that it is knock-out time in the Heineken Cup.
“Each individual can be better and as a team, we can be much better. We have to be. If we lose we are out ... done for this competition, so we will make sure we put in a proper performance to give ourselves a chance to go through to the quarter-finals.”
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Kolisi will be playing against his 2019 Springbok teammate RG Snyman, who is expected to get a strong run as his comeback from lengthy injury gains momentum.
“RG is a great friend of mine and it was horrible to see him go through that long injury period,” Kolisi said. “For him to stay in the fight and not give up says a lot about him and also about Munster. It shows what a special club Munster is to stick with him and look after him, they have toughed it out with him.
“RG is an inspiration,” Kolisi said of a player who has spent three years recovering from one injury after another. “I will be rooting for him whoever he is playing for. It is great to see him on the pitch and I hope he plays well against us on Saturday but not too well!”
IOL Sport