Siya Kolisi: Playing the All Blacks is ‘ugly, tough and beautiful’

Siya Kolisi says the Springboks will hold nothing back in their final Rugby World Cup warm-up match against the All Blacks at a sold-out Twickenham on Friday evening.

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In what both teams have been described as the perfect preparation for the international spectacle in France, the Springboks and All Blacks are set to collide in London tomorrow.

And to show that no Springboks vs All Blacks Test is a friendly, South Africa and New Zealand named strong lineups for the showdown despite the massive injury risk it poses two weeks out from the Rugby World Cup.

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SPRINGBOK SKIPPER KEEN TO GO HARD AT ALL BLACKS

Speaking during Thursday captain press conference, Siya Kolisi reiterated that while it may be their last warm-up game, his Springboks would give everything as they looked to fine-tune their game before the Rugby World Cup.

“The fact that the All Blacks selected a full-strength side for the match shows their intent,” said Siya Kolisi.

“This is not a friendly. In fact, we’ve never had a friendly against them. It’s going to a big physical battle, and we are excited about it.”

“We will not hold back at all,” Siya Kolisi added. “There are 80 000 people coming to the match and we owe it to them to give our all. There are also not many opportunities such as this to face the All Blacks in the northern hemisphere, so it’s going to be a special game.”

“It’s also our last match before the Rugby World Cup, so we want to make the most of the occasion. Hopefully it will be an ugly, tough game, but beautiful at the same time.”

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SIYA KOLISI GIVES POSITIVE INJURY UPDATE

On a personal note, Siya Kolisi said he was pleased with the progress he’s making after a strong return last weekend from a serious knee injury, and added he was ready to step things up a gear on Friday.

“I felt good this week, and going into the match I’ll give as much as I can again, and see for how long I can go,” said Kolisi. “Everything I wondered about I experienced last week, so I am certainly feeling more confident and I’m not going to hold back.”

The Springboks’ next assignment after this Test will be to defend their RWC title in France, where they will line up against Scotland (10 September), Romania (17 September), Ireland (23 September) and Tonga (1 October) in the pool stages.

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