Africa-Press – South-Africa. Cheslin Kolbe, who scored a brace in the Springboks’ record 43-10 victory against the All Blacks in Wellington on Saturday, is wasting no time looking ahead to the challenge that awaits them against Argentina in the closing leg of the Rugby Championship.
The victory at Wellington Regional Stadium not only saw South Africa reclaim top spot in the world rankings, they also retained the Freedom Cup, which is on offer in matches between the Boks and New Zealand.
The Boks arrived back in South Africa on Sunday night after departing Wellington in the early hours of Sunday (New Zealand time), before making their way to their respective home provinces.
With two matches remaining in the championship against the Pumas — in Durban on September 27 and Twickenham in London on October 4 — the competition remains wide open.
Only two points separate the four teams. The Wallabies lead on 11 points, followed by the second-placed Springboks and the third-placed All Blacks (both 10 points) and Argentina (nine). Australia and New Zealand play each other at home and away on the same dates.
All four teams have won two of their four matches. The Boks will be wary, given the Pumas have beaten the Wallabies and the All Blacks.
“The Pumas are playing good rugby and it will be a good challenge when we face them,” Kolbe said.
“There’s hope within our group [that the Boks can retain the Rugby Championship title], so we just need to approach each training session and game one at a time now, remain humble and continue to put in the hard work.”
The Bok squad will have a few days off with their families and reassemble in Durban on Thursday to reacclimatise to the South African conditions and time zone after spending three weeks in New Zealand.
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus will announce his squad for the two matches in the next few days.
“Once we go back to training, I’m sure the coaches will have plans for us for the next two games,” Kolbe said.
“They’ve been playing really well in the Rugby Championship and it’s always a physical battle against the Argentinians. That said, we need to make sure we focus on ourselves and where we can be better.
“We must be clinical. Test rugby is all about being clinical, disciplined and playing on the right side of the field.”
On the record win in Wellington, which not only marked the Boks’ biggest victory against the All Blacks but the home side’s worst defeat in history, the humble speedster said it was a special night.
“To keep the Freedom Cup in South Africa means a lot to the team and country,” said Kolbe, who scored the first two of the world champions’ six tries.
“We owed ourselves a good performance and everybody did their best and sacrificed everything for the team.
“That said, we need to take it week by week and not get ahead of ourselves. Instead, we have to look back at that game and see where we can be better in the next two games.”
Asked about the criticism levelled at the Springboks’ new backline, which many considered too young and inexperienced for the challenge of facing the All Blacks, Kolbe said there is a special environment within the team and every player backs one another.
“I think the players showed a lot of positive energy, that they mean business and also that they want to play for a position in the team.
“That’s one thing about this squad: whoever gets their opportunity, we’ll back them and make sure that whenever they go into big games like that, they are confident about themselves.
“I must give credit to the coaches too for feeding us information and making us as comfortable as possible throughout the week. What the young guys and the whole backline did was unbelievable.
“Now we need to keep our feet on the ground and continue to work hard. We can still rectify a lot, especially in terms of using our opportunities — we can be better.”
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