Captains prepared for thrilling showdown at Newlan

There may not be any serious silverware at stake in the Castle Lager Springbok Showdown in Cape Town on Saturday, but for the captains of the Springbok Green and Gold squads, Siya Kolisi and Lukhanyo Am, winning will be front of mind when they lead their teams out at DHL Newlands at 17h05.

 

And the two Rugby World Cup winners both reckon the match would be particularly special for the young players who will don the Springbok jersey for the first time, even though it isn’t a Test.

 

Kolisi and Am will lead sides featuring a few Rugby World Cup-winners and young players who have come through SA Rugby’s Elite Player Development system and the Junior Springboks.

 

Kolisi said while the match would be a good test for the senior players to measure their form, he was particularly excited to make the occasion memorable for the young players for whom the match will mark the biggest moment of their careers.

 

“This match is an opportunity to showcase the young talent in South Africa,” said Kolisi.

 

“For us who have been here for a while, it will be good to see where we are and for the coaches to see too, so we can keep on working hard and get better.

 

“This is also a great opportunity for all the guys who have never had the chance to play at this level because this is the closest they will get to a Test match, so I am really looking forward to seeing what they can do. I think we have a strong group of players in South Africa.”

 

Am was equally excited and said: “The prospect of playing with new players such as Rikus (Pretorius) really excites me.

 

“Like all youngsters, they have a lot of energy and enthusiasm whenever they come into a new environment. Playing opposite Wandisile (Simelane) will also be interesting as he is an exciting player.

 

“For the young guys in our squad it means a lot to be able to rub shoulders with more experienced Springboks and to have the opportunity to absorb what is happening in this environment.

 

“As Springboks we have enjoyed sharing our knowledge with them, and hopefully they can go back to their franchises as better players,” Am added.

 

Kolisi said he will temporarily put aside the friendships built with his Springbok team-mates over the years as they were determined to deliver the goods on Saturday.

 

“We have been speaking about it as a group, and we want to show what we can do,” said Kolisi.

 

“The thought of us playing together again and for some of us against one another has really made us give our best this week, and we are well prepared going into the game.”

 

Am admitted that running out in the national team colours in front of an empty stadium would be strange, but he said what happens between the four lines is all that counts.

 

“Playing in Cape Town is one of my favourite venues and but unfortunately we can’t play in front of a crowd, which changes the dynamic of the environment,” said the Springbok Gold team skipper.

 

“Having said that, we know the playing surface here can get a bit greasy, but it will be the same for both sides and we will have to adjust and get on with the job.”

Jantjies met 'n strafskop vir die groen span, 3-0 na 15 minute

Willemse met 'n strafskop vir die goues, 6-3 na 33 minute. Moet se dis nogal swak rugby in die eerste 33 minute

Strafdrie vir die groenes, 13-3

Kolisi met 'm maul drie vir die groenes, 18-6

Augustus met 'n drie vir die groenes, 23-9

25-9 dan ook die eindtelling, maar baie spelers op die veld wat nooit naby 'n regte bok span behoort te kom nie

Ruan Dreyer is a huge concern for me, 2 weeks in a row now that he was dominanted. I thought a trip to Europe made players better? 

It's strange because in the 2016/2017 glory days Ruan was scrumming very well and almost never went backwards, I thought props got better playing in Europe because the fields are generally slower and the game more forward oriented. But Ruan is a shadow of his former self... It may also be that he isn't getting proper support from his lock? 

Als wat jul sê het seker waarheid, maar dis ook ooglopend hoe swak die loskoppe geblaas word vir 'in-skrum'.

Nee, glad nie nodig nie, maar daar is bietjie van 'n trick, ek het dit nou al baie vir golf gebruik en Saterdag die eerste keer vir rugby

Ek het toe reggekom. Het daai ad blocker gedownload wat iemand op 'n ander thread van gepraat het (dink dit was Valie). En dan kies mens net 'n channel onder. Het Novak Djokovic se match gekyk netnou, in HD. Baie goed gewerk. As mens rugby en ander sport so kan kyk, en meer mense kom dit agter, gaan DSTV baie vinnig bankrot wees