Siya Kolisi: 'The forwards gave Sacha the platform to excel against Japan'

Springbok captain Siya Kolisi was a happy man after his team perfectly implemented their game plan to smash Japan 61-7 in rainy London on Saturday evening.

This match was always intended as a warm-up for next week’s huge clash with France in Paris, and to that end, the Boks will be thrilled as most of the players who were on duty at Wembley Stadium will start in Paris.

“We did what we wanted to do,” Kolisi said after the eight-tries-to-one romp. “There were a few mistakes, but we shook them off.

“We knew how Japan wanted to play — they wanted to move the ball as quickly as possible from contact areas, so we targeted the breakdowns with the goal of not letting them get quick ball, and we got that right.”

Coach Rassie Erasmus cleverly arranged for his Japan-based players to be released for this match against their Japanese counterparts, and they excelled, from No 8 Jasper Wiese to substitute flyhalf Manie Libbok.

10 Springbok players who were on duty are based in the Land of the Rising Sun.

“It helped that many of our guys knew the opposition, but we had to work for everything we got today,” Kolisi said.

“Leading up to this game, it was good for our players that we went back to our unions in the United Rugby Championship and got to play a few games. We got some training done, and it was good to get opportunities in the URC ahead of this game.

“First of all, in this game against Japan, we had to play well in establishing our foundations because Japan pushed Australia in the week before they played us.”

Regarding the brilliant game-breaker Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Kolisi said: “Sacha is very good, but there is an amazing coaching staff behind him. They back him. Also, world-class flyhalves in Handre Pollard and Manie Libbok are pushing him and giving him a lot of help.

“But we are more focused on the team effort, and without the forwards performing, Sacha can’t do what he does. The guys around him matter.”