We want to play winning rugby, no matter what it takes - Siya

More than 50 000 Durbanites will be crammed into Kings Park this evening to hopefully witness the Springboks taking a big stride to a new piece of history — winning the Rugby Championship for the second year in a row.

No Springbok team — not even Siya Kolisi’s double world champions — have managed to defend a Rugby Championship title since the tournament started in 1996.

The Boks have only won this title four times in 30 years, and now Kolisi’s Boks are in strong contention to defend the title they won last year, but in their way is a tenacious Argentinean team that is the world’s fastest improving side.

The four competing teams — South Africa, Australia, Argentina, and New Zealand — have won two matches and lost two, and if the Boks win in Durban, they will take a huge stride toward clinching the title.

“This game is of massive importance to us,” Kolisi said. “This is an opportunity to do something we have never done as a group, and that is to win the Rugby Championship back to back.”

Kolisi has played 97 Test matches for his country, and as he closes in on the hallowed milestone of 100 appearances in the green and gold, he says he is more excited than ever to play for his country.

“The older I get, the hungrier I get because I see the guys coming in and how good they are,” the 34-year-old smiled.

“Yes, I have thought about how special it would be to get to 100,” he said. “I don't know what to say, I have no words. I could never have dreamed that I would get to this number of games. When I was young, I was a water boy taking drinks onto the field for my heroes playing in my township.”

But right now, the only thing that matters to Kolisi is to beat the dangerous Pumas.

“We know what is at stake and we know that Argentina are capable of beating us and winning the Rugby Championship. So we want to play winning rugby at Kings Park, no matter what it takes.”