Springboks draw on past setbacks to level Greatest Rivalry series

South Africa responded to the pressure of losing the opening Test by producing a 33-26 victory over their rivals at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday, with Siya Kolisi and Pieter-Steph du Toit explaining how the Springboks turned their frustration into a positive response.

The result came after South Africa were beaten in the first Test at Ellis Park the previous week. With the Springboks needing to win to keep the Greatest Rivalry series alive, they secured victory in a bruising contest and moved the series level at 1-1.

Du Toit said the squad had been determined to avoid another defeat and trusted the response that has served South Africa in difficult circumstances before.

“Yeah, we’re never prepared to lose a Test match,” he told reporters.

“I guess probably as South Africans, when our back is against the wall, we know there’s only one way forward, and that’s to go forward fast. So it’s never nice to lose a match. And we’re just happy we could win this one.”

The forward’s comments reflected the mood in the South Africa camp after a result which had placed considerable pressure on the team. Although the opening defeat had left the Springboks facing the prospect of losing the series, the players and coaches focused on addressing the detail of their performance rather than dwelling on the scoreline.

Kolisi said the coaching staff had been central to that approach, helping the squad identify the errors made in the first Test and establish what needed to change in Cape Town.

“I think also with the coaching staff, they really speak to us,” Kolisi said.

“Last week came, people will look at it and say, ‘oh, it’s such a big score’, but we look at the rugby.

“We’ve got so many rugby players and the coaches. We come, and they [say] ‘look, OK, these are the mistakes we made and this is what we can do’.

The South Africa captain added that the team’s experience of recovering from difficult starts had helped them remain composed. Many of the players had previously lost the opening match of a World Cup campaign before recovering, meaning the squad was familiar with the challenge of rebuilding momentum after an early setback.

“Also we’ve been here before. It’s not like the first time. The majority of us have lost the first game in the World Cup. We have lost, and we’re able to come back. I think that helps us a lot.

“We encourage each other and work hard and try to fix everything that we want to fix,” Kolisi added.

South Africa’s 33-26 win means the series will be decided in the third Test. The final match is scheduled to take place at FNB Stadium next Saturday, with another fiercely contested encounter expected between the two sides.