CAPE TOWN – Springbok skipper Siya Kolisi says they want to put a smile on their fans’ faces again when they host Georgia in the first of two warm-up Tests against the British & Irish Lions at Loftus on Friday.
Friday will mark exactly 20 months since the South Africans lifted the Webb Ellis Cup in Japan, the last time they played international rugby.
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Kolisi went on to say that it’s was a huge privilege to finally be back in business again.
“Hopefully, we can put smiles on people’s faces again, because we are so excited to be on the field again. This is what we love doing, and it’s a huge privilege for us to do what we love, and for as long as we can,” he said during a virtual media briefing on Thursday.
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He also explained that they won’t let their focus drift to the Lions. They know that the first task is Georgia, and that’s what they’re focusing all their attention on.
“My expectation is just to let the main thing stay the main thing, to do my main part and to give my best for the team. Nothing beats the warrior work, doing the thing that no one notices, cleaning a ruck when no one sees or whatever it may be.
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“We’ve looked back at footage of the try Makazole Mapimpi scored in the World Cup final. That came after the work RG [Snyman] did at the ruck, which opened up space on the blindside. It’s that sort of stuff, which others may not notice, but as coaches and players we do see it.
“We want to do the hard yards to allow for players to have the confidence and freedom to do what they are known for.”
IOL Sport