FOR the first time since the Springboks settled in Durban for their World Cup preparations‚ they were partially greeted by conditions they could be dealing with in the United Kingdom.
While it was humid‚ it was not as warm. It rained in the morning and it was windy. For Siya Kolisi‚ these are conditions he is accustomed to as Port Elizabeth is notorious for whipping up four seasons in a day.
Cape Town‚ where he plays for the Stormers‚ probably has the closest conditions South Africa can replicate in terms of a Northern Hemisphere winter.
It makes Durban as the Boks’ city of choice a rather puzzling decision‚ but the wisdom of that decision will be tested later this month.
Kolisi is less concerned with where they train than how hard it has been to make the World Cup squad‚ such is the depth of talent at loose-forward.
“You can never expect to be in the final squad‚ especially with the quality of the loose-forwards we have in the country‚” he said.
“I had to work and fight hard‚ especially after (injury) last year‚ when I had to dig deep and get out of the hole I was in. It has been a tough journey and it means so much to me‚ especially after the injuries I had.”
Even after the Cosatu debacle‚ the Bok transformation storm has refused to dissipate‚ which ratchets up the pressure on Heyneke Meyer’s men to come back with the William Webb-Ellis trophy.
“When everything else was happening‚ we knew it has nothing to do with us. We knew what we needed to do and we all have the same goal. If a person has a problem with another person‚ we ensure that is sorted out here together.
“We’re a tight family and we’ve been focusing on ourselves. It’s much better and easier now that we know who is going‚” Kolisi said.
Kolisi is aware of what they need to do to achieve that goal and harked back to the basic need of playing towards something to make their moment worthwhile.
“Representing the Springboks at a World Cup is one of the reasons why we play rugby. Just making the squad is only the beginning. We now need to go and fight for the World Cup if we want to win it. It’s going to be tough and the coach is pushing us to limits we haven’t been to before. Honestly‚ the whole group will do anything to win the trophy‚” said Kolisi.
“When you go to a World Cup‚ you have to forget about a team’s past because every game is a final. You have to win every game to win the World Cup but we’ve inculcated the habit of forgetting about the previous game.
“We’ve taken lessons from the defeats and we know we need to play 80 if not 90 minutes of rugby in each game.” – The Times
Source: RDM News Wire.
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