‘We’re going to do it our way,’ says skipper Kolisi as Boks hunt RGR trophy
· Citizen
Springbok skipper Siya Kolisi banished any doubts around his team’s style of play and said that the Boks were looking to clinch what would be an impressive 3-1 series win over the All Blacks if they come out on top in the finale of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry at the M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, USA on Saturday (kick-off 11:10pm SA time).
Kolisi was speaking at the captain’s presser on Friday afternoon, where he was hoping to lead his side to a third straight win to emphatically secure the series, after the Boks lost the opener at Ellis Park last month.
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The second match in Cape Town saw the return of the inspirational Kolisi from injury, and they went on to win the next two matches with him at the helm, and head into the final match after taking a 2-1 lead in Soweto last weekend.
One of the narratives pushed by the All Blacks and their media throughout the series so far has been around how the Boks supposedly slow the game down, and play a boring forward and kicking dominated game style, but when asked about it Kolisi said that they would continue to do things their way.
What works for us
“What everybody says outside our circle doesn’t really matter. We do what works for us. We know who we are and we stick to the way we play. We’re going to play the Springbok way, and that’s not one particular way,” explained Kolisi.
“We can play a set-piece attack game, a kicking game. We’ve got guys who have freedom in the team. Our system is created to give us freedom. That’s why we have guys like Kurt-Lee (Arendse) and Cheslin (Kolbe) on the outside, and a guy like Damian (Willemse) who can use his feet.
“Our system doesn’t say, ‘play this way’. If people don’t like the way we play, it is what it is. We’re not going to change because of that. It works for us. If it doesn’t work, then the coaches will change, and we’ll find a better way of playing.
“And I’m sure New Zealand feel the same about their side, the way they play, because they’re not changing from it.”
The All Blacks have made a slew of changes to their match 23 for the final match in an effort to snatch a series draw, including bringing in veteran flyhalf Richie Mo’unga for his first game for them since the 2023 World Cup final, and Kolisi admitted that they were ready for the challenge.
“We know what’s coming. The All Blacks are great. It has been a tough three games so far. It has been really hard, but we definitely want to win the series,” said Kolisi.
“It’s a new team that they have, so that’s also good for us in terms of, it gives you something. We had to look at new players because we know they’re going to bring something different this coming weekend. We’d definitely love to win the series. We don’t want to draw the series.”