Springboks skipper Siya Kolisi hailed the resilience of his side after they mounted a stunning comeback to defeat the All Blacks in their Rugby Championship clash at Ellis Park on Saturday.
South Africa overturned a 10-point deficit with 12 minutes remaining to run out 31-27 victors over their old foes at the packed stadium in the heart of Johannesburg.
It was by no means a perfect performance from the Springboks, as Kolisi conceded they were not at their best.
However, the character to come from behind and snatch the win was what Kolisi singled out.
The Springboks transcend rugby in South Africa and Siya knows it 👏
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What an ambassador he is for the @Springboks 👇#TRC2024 pic.twitter.com/1ePqTQSd47
‘We tried not to panic’
“We respect the All Blacks, no matter what people say about them. When it’s time to turn up, they turn up,” said Kolisi.
“We tried not to panic. We couldn’t exit well as they were catching us there. They got the first try in the second half, but after that we picked ourselves up. The thing about this game … we don’t give up. We’ve been behind before, we’ve been in front. We can draw from those experiences.”
The 33-year-old Kolisi went on to lay on the praise for Springbok fans.
“Thank you so much for your support. Not just for tonight. You’ve carried us through so many battles. We play for a lot, but the people of South Africa are our number one motivation.
“There were some people shouting for us as we drove on the team bus today. Homeless people jumping up and down and the people who could be here today. Please don’t stop, when things get tough please carry on supporting us. We can’t do it without you.”
All Blacks skipper Scott Barrett, meanwhile, lamented his side’s inability to close out the game.
“The Springboks certainly showed the class team they are. We weren’t quite good enough. We were good for 62 minutes, but it’s an 80-minute game,” said Barrett.
“There were two key moments after kick-offs. We couldn’t quite get out of our half. They punished us. It was a huge effort, I’m certainly proud of the boys.
“We’ll regroup quickly. There are some guys that have played up here for the first time at this arena. We’ll have to be better next week.”