Springboks captain Siya Kolisi was speaking to Tommy Martin post-match following their defeat against Ireland at the Aviva Stadium over the weekend..
“Ireland are an amazing team. The Irish people should really be proud of their team,” said a humble Kolisi.
He added: “Our maul was stopped from the word go and then obviously our scrums can be much better. We normally dominate in those instances and I thought Ireland were really good. They came prepared, they knew our maul was one of our key things and they made plans to stop that.
“In the Rugby Championship we created so many opportunities and we didn’t take them and the same thing happened today. When you play against a team like this with so little, they had two opportunities and scored a try in both of them.”
Reacting to the interview, one fan said: “Gentleman and a very worthy captain of South Africa,”
A second commented: “What an ambassador for the game and his country. A World Cup winning captain who has reached the pinnacle and is so gracious in defeat,”
“As an Irishman I must say he’s a class act in defeat. That’s how to be a professional and South Africa are one of my favorites for the world cup. Cheers, great game(rough) but great.,” wrote a third.
Another tweeted: “Owen Farrell could learn a lot about humility from Kolisi. The best captain around and one of the best of all-time,”
Siya Kolisi interview:
Siya Kolisi facts:
- Kolisi is an ardent fan of English club Liverpool F.C
- In 2018, Kolisi was appointed captain of the Springboks, becoming the first black man to hold the position
- At the age of 12, he impressed scouts at a youth tournament in Mossel Bay and was offered a scholarship at Grey Junior in Port Elizabeth
- Kolisi married Rachel Kolisi in 2016 and as of 2018 they have two children together: son Nicholas Siyamthanda (born 2015) and daughter Keziah (born 2017)
- He captained the South African team at the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Yokohama, Japan, defeating England 32–12 in the final to lift the Webb Ellis Cup
2022 World XV:
#BACK-THREE:
- 15. Stuart Hogg (Scotland)
- 14. Makazole Mapimpi (South Africa)
- 11. Will Jordan (New Zealand)
#CENTRES:
- 13. Lukhanyo Am (South Africa)
- 12. Samu Kerevi (Australia)