Kolisi's statement of intent to rugby fraternity

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: The only goal is to continue to dominate the World Rugby rankings says Springboks captain Siya Kolisi.

Fresh from a 2-1 series win over the British and Irish Lions, the Springboks now face the challenging task of retaining their Rugby Championship trophy and the Rugby World Cup 2023.

After pulling out of last year’s tournament due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Rugby Champs have to defend their title against New Zealand, Australia and Argentina.

South Africa kicked off their campaign with back-to-back fixtures against Argentina at Nelson Mandela Stadium.

Having won the World Cup in 2019 and the Lions Series recently, the Springboks have shown that they are the team to beat.

The Boks have been No.1 on World Rankings despite not playing a single Test match in 2020.

However, the Springboks’ dominance has come under a lot of scrutinies, with many pundits labelling them as ‘boring and one dimensional and even questioning their No.1 status.

Speaking to the media, Springboks captain Siya Kolisi made it clear that his team was intent on staying on top of the table for a long time.

*Article continues below...

“If we had no Covid in 2020, our goal was to maintain No.1 and consistently stay there,” Kolisi said via a virtual media briefing.

“That’s our goal, to be No.1 for as long as we can.

"That’s been the drive for us. We don’t want to be a one-off and then disappear. We knew we were going to be tested,"

*Article continues below...

Springboks head coach Jacques Nienaber has made 12 changes to the team who secured a 19-16 win over B&I Lions last week.

The coaching team have opted to rest their stars a give guys like Damian Willemse, Aphelele Fassi, Sbu Nkosi and debutant hooker Joseph Dweba a chance to uphold the Springboks No.1 standards.

“When you come in here, you are pushing for spots, but you also remember that our No.1 goal is to make sure the team is the most important, making sure we stay at No.1," Kolisi explained.

“So whoever is chosen, if you don’t get chosen, you don’t drop your head for the whole week, you still help the guys that are there, playing in your place.

"We want to be No.1 for as long as we can, we want to win games and win trophies,"

@rugby365com