Captain Siya Kolisi will be playing at eighthman for the Springboks for the first time, having done it at franchise level before.
Springbok captain Siya Kolisi is fired up for the challenge of playing eighthman for the Boks for the first time in their Rugby Championship opener against the Wallabies at Ellis Park on Saturday evening (kick-off 5:10pm).
Kolisi has played in the position before, most recently a number of times for the Sharks over the past franchise season, but this will be his first time donning the No 8 jersey in international rugby.
At Friday’s pre-match press conference the Bok captain said that his role wouldn’t change drastically, and that he would be largely doing the same job he usually does when playing at flank.
He also acknowledged the breakdown threat that the Aussies possess and said that the Boks’ loose forward department will have their work cut out for them in the match.
“My role will change slightly in the lineouts and the scrums, but other than that I’ll be fulfilling my usual role,” explained Kolisi.
“Playing No 8 at the Sharks certainly helped me, although the role here is different. I’m also not the same type of player as Jasper (Wiese) or Duane (Vermeulen) in terms of my size, so I’m going to give what I can offer.
“The breakdowns are going to be a big area of the game, so myself, Marco (van Staden) and Pieter-Steph (du Toit) have important jobs, although that said, the breakdowns are a team effort.”
Confident Wallabies
The Wallabies head into the game with plenty of confidence and momentum, off the back of beating the British and Irish Lions in their final game of the series a few weeks ago and will be eager to make a statement and upset the double World Cup winning champs on their home turf.
But Kolisi sent a warning to their coming opposition over the rest of the season, explaining that the Boks were aiming to become a team that wins consistently between World Cups, and not just one that performs on the biggest stage.
“It is very important to us to do well between Cups. That is why you see so many players getting opportunities because, unfortunately, injuries occur. We need our greater group to be the best it can be,” said Kolisi.
“Our mindset is to win every single game but also to build squad depth because the two go hand in hand. To that end, our training sessions have been much tougher this year. I would say they have been brutal, especially the forward sessions.
“We want to be the best in the world all the time. It has never been our goal just to focus on World Cups, because anything can happen in a World Cup. Also, being No 1 in the world makes a difference when it comes to the World Cup pools.”
Following the Boks and Aussies opening the Rugby Championship, Argentina will host the All Blacks in Cordoba (kick-off 11:10pm SA time).
