Eben Etzebeth received his record-breaking 128th Springbok Test cap from previous holder Victor Matfield. Photo: BackpagePix
After the Springboks had bagged the Rugby Championship on Saturday night, captain Siya Kolisi said his team’s desire for success will never wane.
Under Kolisi and coach Rassie Erasmus, the Boks have won two Championships, and two World Cups and defeated the British and Irish Lions, and over the last month or so, they have added the Nelson Mandela Plate and the Freedom Cup to their collection.
“Winning trophies is something we’ve talked about and worked hard for, so we’re very happy,” Kolisi said.
“We’ve wanted to win this trophy for a long time, especially this one because most of us have never won the full one before.”
Kolisi is referring to the Championship the Boks won in 2019. It was a World Cup year, and only one round was played.
“But we don’t want to stop here. We’re not satisfied with where we are,” he said. “We want to make sure that the team keeps growing and keeps winning.”
Kolisi said his team had been determined to deliver a performance befitting Eben Etzebeth’s record-breaking achievement of 128 caps.
“We’re honoured to have won it like this,” Kolisi said of the Boks’ seven-try, 48-7 victory. “We did it for Eben. We also wanted to say thank you to the people of South Africa for coming out to see us. It was our last home game of the year.”
Next up for the Boks is a challenging tour of the UK in November.
They begin the trip with a match in Edinburgh against Scotland on Sunday, November 10, followed by a game against Wales in Cardiff before finishing with a clash with old rivals England at Twickenham.
If the Boks win their three games on tour, they will reclaim their No 1 spot in the world rankings.
Ireland are currently No 1 after the Boks slipped a position when they lost to the Pumas in Argentina.