Siya Kolisi gives Junior Boks surprise pep talk ahead of Australia clash

Double World Cup-winning Springbok captain Siya Kolisi has given the Junior Bok team a pep talk ahead of their Under-20 Rugby Championship clash with Australia in Gqeberha on Tuesday.

The South Africans kicked off their title challenge with a hard-fought 36-25 win over Argentina in front of 10,000 fans at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Thursday.

Kolisi, who was in Gqeberha to attend the 180th anniversary celebrations of Arena Holdings newspaper The Herald, made a surprise visit to the team at their Saturday morning training session on the Nelson Mandela outer fields.

“It’s amazing to see the boys and good to be in Gqeberha, where people are so hungry for rugby and to see our boys play,” Kolisi said.

“I can see they and the coaches are working hard, they have a great culture and I can see the future of our rugby is in good hands.

“I just wished them luck and told them that, at this young age, it’s a huge privilege.

“They represent all of us in South Africa right now; this is their opportunity, and they must use it well. They are representing not just some people, but the whole of the country.

“They must enjoy the moment because the opportunity can be taken away just like that.

“I also told them to dream bigger than what is happening on the field and this is not the end for them; they want to kick on to the highest level.”

Kolisi also had a special message for the rugby supporters in the Eastern Cape city, where the senior Boks will face Italy in July.

“I know I don’t have to urge the rugby supporters in Gqeberha to come and support the tournament and our boys,” he said.

“I know they are going to attend because this province is hungry for rugby and big events. That’s why every time we come here, it’s always full and the people come to welcome us at the airport.

“I want to say thanks in advance to the people in Gqeberha for coming out to support the boys and filling the stadium — you can see this province can host big events and hopefully more will come after this.”

Junior Springbok captain Riley Norton said he and his teammates were excited to meet Kolisi.

“Seeing Siya watch the training session and then his engagement with the squad and staff afterwards was a special moment,” he said.

“Siya is our hero and we are grateful for the inspiring words he shared with us and we thoroughly enjoyed the special occasion.”

Working on their line-out timing and set-piece play has been a focus for the Junior Boks in their preparation for the crunch clash against Australia, coach Kevin Foote said.

Australia fought back courageously to snatch a 29-29 draw against defending champions New Zealand in their opening game.

“I think the takeout from the Argentina game will be that we work hard on our set piece,” Foote said. “Our attack and defence was really good.

“There was a bit of timing stuff in the line-outs that we missed out on. If teams are going to defend hard at the front and middle [of line-outs] and you have to back yourself to go to the back and I think it is probably a bit of a timing thing.

“When we could not get a platform against Argentina it put us under pressure and we played a bit more for territory and understanding the wind in the stadium.

“Argentina have always been known for their defensive line-outs.”

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