"He wants the Smoke" – Springboks captain Siya Kolisi believes England's 'desperation' makes Borthwick's side more dangerous
Yesterday at 08:23 AM
By Paul Wilkinson
Speaking ahead of the Autumn Series match between the two nations, Springboks Assistant Coach Mzwandile Stick and captain Siya Kolisi both believe that England will be more dangerous because of their recent losses.
Despite the home side having lost narrowly to New Zealand and Australia over the past two weeks, Kolisi is not taking this England challenge lightly.
"The crowd will get behind them and our record here is one we need to rectify", the two-time World Cup winning captain highlighted at the press conference today. The visitors have only one once in their past four trips to the Allianz Stadium.
The rivalry between the two countries has developed over recent years, with the race row between Tom Curry and Bongi Mbonambi stoking tensions further. Players from both sides have downplayed those events this week though, with England prop Ellis Genge saying that
"it's just another week" and Kolisi stating that like any other match, "it's always personal". England have made four changes to their starting team, albeit with the introduction of Sam Underhill and Ollie Sleighthome owing to injuries to Curry and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso.
The other two changes are not enforced however, with Leicester's Jack van Poortvliet and Freddie Steward returning to the side at the expense of Ben Spencer and George Furbank. On Tuesday, scrum-half Cobus Reinach described England's playing style as 'moneyball', owing to their strong kicking game and physicality.
This is reflected in Steve Borthwick's decision to welcome Steward back into the starting team, and the full back is excited to make his return: "It was difficult emotionally [not starting] … I'm just grateful for this opportunity to be back out there".
Steward's aerial game will certainly be a factor in determining the winners of the match tomorrow, with the new escorting rule transforming the battle in the air. South Africa's attacking coach Tony Brown acknowledged that through winning the ball in the air, teams can create a "dynamic attack".
Rassie Erasmus has made twelve changes to the side that defeated Scotland in Edinburgh last Sunday, with tighthead prop Wilco Louw's appearance meaning that the Springboks have fielded an astounding 50 players this calendar year.
Such squad depth has not been seen in the modern game, and Kolisi said that it was one of the "three pillars" Erasmus wished to develop when he came into the setup in 2018. Due to this competition for places, the skipper said that those who are not involved "sulk for a few minutes, but then you become the best you can to help the next guy" because "the team is the most important".
Kolisi singled out mercurial Marcus Smith and Chandler Cunningham-South for particular praise. On Smith, he said that "he's amazing… he's one of those gifted people who can do something when nothing is happening".
As for England's blindside flanker who only has nine caps to his name, Kolisi noted that "he wants the smoke… when things aren't going well he puts his hand up".
Finally, both Kolisi and Steward claimed to have no knowledge of the breaking reports today that a new global franchise competition which could launch in the summer of 2026, in a move that would revolutionise the sport.
