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The World Cup-winning Bok captain was especially full of praise for Temba Bavuma, who fought through pain and criticism to lead the side to glory.
Springbok skipper Siya Kolisi, centre, chats with assistant coaches Jerry Flannery, left, and Felix Jones, right, at a training session. Picture: Daniel Hlongwane/Gallo Images
Springbok captain Siya Kolisi and coach Rassie Erasmus praised the efforts of the Proteas, after they defied the odds to triumph in the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia at Lord’s over the past weekend.
The Proteas, who returned to South Africa on Wednesday morning, went into the game as underdogs, with many doubting that they had the mettle to emerge with a win over a powerful Australian team, but turned those expectations on their head to lift the Test mace.
Talking at a Springbok press conference on Wednesday, Kolisi highlighted the enormity of the occasion and applauded the team effort that it took to triumph on the biggest stage.
‘Tough journey’
“It is huge for the country. You saw the reactions of the people of South Africa. One thing about South Africans is when we are representing the country people get behind us,” said Kolisi.
“We know it has been a tough journey for the Proteas, not just in the one day game but also in Tests. So to do something like this was huge, and to do it in the manner that they did, with all the noise around them about only playing a few Tests and that other countries deserved to be there.
“The great thing about it is that it was a team effort. It wasn’t just one person that stood up. Lungi (Ngidi) struggled in the first innings and came back in the second. Kagiso (Rabada) was amazing. Aiden (Markram) got zero in the first innings and then fought his way through, which showed a lot of who we are as South Africans.”
Kolisi continued: “I am really proud of Temba (Bavuma) too. He went through a tough period where he got a lot of criticism because he couldn’t get runs. South Africans are proud people, and they are very passionate about the country.
“He could have given up, but he took it well, carried on fighting and showed (in the match) even when his hamstring was sore.
“So we are proud of them and we support them. It’s always good to see South Africans succeed and hopefully this is just the first one of many more.”
Springboks and Proteas in same boat
Before the Proteas left for the WTC final in England, the team management spent a day with the Springboks at their second alignment camp last month, and Erasmus was asked whether he believed that played a role in their success.
“The nice thing about being a national coach is that we keep in contact whenever we play. Just the fact that they were there with us inspired us, because they sat in and listened to our sessions,” said Erasmus.
“It wasn’t the case that they learnt from us, we were just sharing environments. They also faced the same kind of pressure that we did in 2018 and 2019 when we went to the World Cup.
“So we were certainly not instrumental in their result. But they could see our excitement for them and we can see their excitement for us. That makes us proud and made us watch every single ball.
“You could almost see their emotions, and you kind of relate to that. So I think it helps us in our hearts, more than it helps us technically and tactically. I don’t think we played any major role in their success. They just did flippen well.”
