Ellis Park stumble water under the bridge for Kolisi

After the Rugby Championship defeat to New Zealand, Springbok captain Siya Kolisi has asked his teammates to forget about the events at Ellis Park on Saturday and focus on the back-to-back clashes against Australia.

The Boks travel Down Under to take on the Wallabies on August 27 in Adelaide and the following weekend in Sydney, where they will be looking to remain in contention for tournament honours.

“We would have loved to gain momentum with a win but we can’t let our heads drop for long,”  Kolisi said as he reflected on the defeat in front of a lively full house of more than 61,000 spectators at Ellis Park.

“There are four more games to go but we have missed an opportunity. New Zealand played really well today. They controlled the game more. We fought back really well in the second but we slipped up in one moment. We fell asleep and that’s what they can do to you when that happens.”

Both coach Jacques Nienaber and Kolisi said they were not accurate enough.

“I think they were good and they were a little more accurate than us. When we tried to get momentum they were a little quicker than us. It is never good to lose but we have been saying it whole week that they just need one moment.

“They needed a couple of moments to get into the game and I thought they controlled the game well. They moved the ball around and we couldn’t impose our kicking, like we did last week in Mbombela.

“In the second half, we started fighting back as a team but we lost it at the end. All we can take from this is that we didn’t give up, we kept on coming back and we have four games to go in the competition.”

Kolisi said the focus was on the next match against Australia.

He praised the 61,500 spectators.

“Since we started playing at home this year the SA public has been next level,” he said.

“We don’t take it for granted at all. For people to keep coming out like they have done is special. It might be hostile for our opponents, but we definitely use it for motivation.”

Springbok touring squad:

Props: Steven Kitshoff (Stormers), Vincent Koch (Wasps), Frans Malherbe (Stormers), Ox Nche (Sharks), Trevor Nyakane (Racing 92)

Hookers: Joseph Dweba (Stormers), Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears)

Locks: Eben Etzebeth (Sharks), Lood de Jager (Wild Knights), Salmaan Moerat (Stormers)

Loose forwards: Pieter-Steph du Toit (Verblitz), Siya Kolisi (Sharks), Elrigh Louw (Bulls), Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs), Jasper Wiese (Leicester Tigers), Duane Vermeulen (Ulster)

Utility forwards: Deon Fourie (Stormers), Franco Mostert (Honda Heat)

Scrumhalves: Faf de Klerk (Canon Eagles), Jaden Hendrikse (Sharks), Herschel Jantjies (Stormers), Cobus Reinach (Montpellier)

Flyhalves: Elton Jantjies (NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes), Handré Pollard (Leicester Tigers)

Centres: Lukhanyo Am (Sharks), Damian de Allende (Wild Knights), André Esterhuizen (Harlequins)

Outside backs: Makazole Mapimpi (Sharks), Willie le Roux (Verblitz), Canan Moodie (Bulls), Warrick Gelant (Racing 92)

Utility Backs: Damian Willemse (Stormers), Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles), Frans Steyn (Cheetahs)