Africa-Press – South-Africa. In Durban
Springbok captain Siya Kolisi acknowledged that Auckland’s events between Australia and New Zealand will have an influence on their later Rugby Championship game against the Pumas in Durban on Saturday.
Kolisi’s fresh and honest admission on a windy, but warm Friday afternoon was a departure from the straight-jacketed nature of the other press engagements this week that just focused on the Bok processes for the Argentina game.
The All Blacks and the Springboks are equal on points (14), but New Zealand (+41) has a better points difference as compared to South Africa (+28).
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This means the Wallabies will have to just beat the All Blacks or they need to keep Ian Foster’s side to a small win to open up the door for the Boks or the Pumas.
Kolisi said they still need to win, regardless of what happens in Auckland.
“We’ll definitely be watching and we’ll know the result at the end of the day and what happens there is very important,” Kolisi said.
“We’ll focus on what we need to do and I’m pretty sure Argentina will do the same. That result though will make a difference on what both teams need to do.
“All four teams can win the Championship and we’re all in the battle for the prize, so we’ll be watching the game so we can know what we need to do.
“We definitely have to win, and Argentina has the same mindset.”
Kolisi said they’re not going to veer away from what has been working for them in the tournament.
While the Boks’ attacking game has been a work in progress, the improvement has been tangible with the two bonus point wins against Australia and Argentina.
Those two points have allowed them to keep track of the All Blacks, who have been hard-pressed to defend their title this season.
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“Nothing is going to change our game plan. We’re going to play the way we’re going to play,” Kolisi said.
“We’ll follow the same systems and do the same thing that we did when we played the British and Irish Lions.
“We’ll play the same way. We’re not going to change, but I think we’ll just have to reach different roles.
“We don’t change our plan because of the situation, but we look at and play what is in front of us.”
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