Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus and captain Siya Kolisi thanked the South African fans for their passionate support, as well as the coaching staff for the plans they made and the team for their gutsy effort as they both celebrated significant career milestones with a victory against France in Paris on Saturday night.
The Boks, playing the entire second half with only 14 players, had to dig deep and scored three tries in the final 20 minutes to beat their hosts by 32-17 at the Stade de France – their biggest victory over the French in Paris since 1997.
Kolisi played in his 100th Test, making him the ninth Springbok centurion in history, while Erasmus guided the team in his 50th Test as head coach.
The team registered the monumental victory despite losing Lood de Jager to a red card late in the first half, which forced Erasmus to make unplanned changes to the team, resulting in Kolisi being replaced at halftime in his milestone match, and the Bok coach lauded the players for their fighting spirit to outscore the hosts four tries to two.
“It was probably close to midnight at home (when the final whistle sounded), so thank you to the people who stayed up and watched the game – we play for them and for South Africa,” said Erasmus, who led the Boks to the back-to-back Rugby Championship titles.
“I also want to say thank you to our captain, who was taken off because Andre (Esterhuizen) can play loose forward and centre, which was a tough call. But when I told him, he just took it on the chin and understood.
“Boan (Venter) also came off early in the match because he has to get used to the intensity of these matches, although I thought he went really well.
“I think the guys who started probably softened up the opposition, and then the bench could go and finish it. Even when Manie (Libbok) came on and Sacha (Feinberg-Mngomezulu) went to fullback, I thought everybody had a good impact.
“That comes from the players understanding that it’s a 23-man effort, and the coaches made good plans, which made it easier for the players who came on from the bench.”
Asked what he said to the team at halftime after losing De Jager for the rest of the match, Erasmus said: “I can take very little credit for what was said at halftime because all the coaches of the different departments did most of the talking and made plans.
“A lot of people said the players are getting older, but they are wiser. We desperately wanted to win this game. Playing here (in France) is tough, but fortunately, we experienced it in 2022 and 2023, so the experience of the players, and both the team and the assistant coaches made plans.”
Kolisi was very grateful about celebrating his 100th cap with a victory and thanked his family and friends, as well as his teammates, for making the occasion memorable.
“A lot of my family were here and people who’ve helped me along the way, and I’m very grateful for that,” said Kolisi.
“That said, my focus was on the game because we knew how much they wanted to win this match.
“I must give credit to the team, they really played well, and I’m proud of them and our coaching staff for making plans and not panicking. That’s what makes this team special.
“On a day like today, having to leave the field was a fitting example of putting the team first. When coach Rassie came to ask me, it was a case of putting the emotion aside because the team comes first, and I applaud them for the way they fought.”
Kolisi, who captained in back-to-back World Cups, also had a few special words for his coach, saying: “Today was his 50th game as head coach, and he never made it about him this week. It was all about the team.
“So, thank you, Coach, for all that you do for us. You have no idea what you’ve done, not just in rugby terms, but in the mindset in which we see each other and our country.
“When you speak, we take so much from you, so thank you for all that you do. We really appreciate it.”
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