Siya Kolisi opens up about ‘special’ Springbok environment: ‘A proper family’

Springbok captain Siya Kolisi is happy to be back in a special environment as the world champions prepare to kick off their 2025 international campaign against the Barbarians in Cape Town this coming weekend.

The Boks are currently in camp in Johannesburg, and will be leaving for Cape Town on Sunday, where they will get into their match week preparation ahead of their non-Test against the famed invitational team, following which they welcome Italy and Georgia for their incoming series.

‘It is special’

Kolisi recently spoke about how great it feels to be back in the Bok setup, and highlighted the return of veteran lock Lood de Jager, who has been out of the team for a couple of years due to health problems and injury, as to why it is so special.

“Playing here is not forever, and somewhere along the line, it is going to end. So, we appreciate it a whole lot more when we get back in camp. When you see a guy like Lood after such a long time, it is special,” explained Kolisi.

“The hugs are just different. I don’t know how to explain it. He (De Jager) was punching me, and I asked him, ‘Why are you hitting me’, and he said, ‘Because I am excited to see you’. He was greeting everyone with a smile on his face, and he knows how it feels when you are not here.

“That is the kind of environment we have. We see the management joke with each other. It makes it a proper family, and a safe space for a lot of us. That is why we can work that hard when they push us on the field.”

All systems go

With almost the full squad together after various franchise finals were played over the past weekend, Kolisi said that it was all systems go in training and that the coaches were pushing them as hard as possible to get up to speed.

“Training is as hard as games, sometimes it’s even harder. Felix (Jones, assistant coach) is back, and he’s always on our case and shouting,” said Kolisi with a laugh.

“When we did the fitness test (last week), he was always pushing you to get yourself there. You try and get yourself there, and you are dead (tired) by the end of it. And then he says, ‘you did well’.

“That is all they want from us, to give our best and not worry about mistakes. Nobody makes a mistake on purpose. You play (your rugby) in safety here. They want us to play at this intensity, so they train us to get to that intensity. That is the nice thing, and I enjoy being here.”

The Springboks will be playing their first Test in Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth) since 2021, when they played Argentina behind closed doors, and in front of fans since playing Australia in 2018, when they take on Italy in their second Test in July.

Hometown

It is Kolisi’s hometown, while Bok coach Rassie Erasmus was born in Despatch (just outside Gqeberha), and the captain is looking forward to playing there again.

“It is going to be good to be back in the Eastern Cape. The people there are hungry for events and things to happen, and we know how much they support us,” said Kolisi.

“Myself and coach Rassie come from there. It’s full at the airport when we get there, because people love rugby in the Eastern Cape. I have no doubt it (the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium) is going to be full when we play there.

“It is going to be a great atmosphere of course and I am really looking forward to seeing some old friends. So hopefully more events can happen in the Eastern Cape and Gqeberha.”