By Brenden Nel.
@Springboks.
With Duane Vermeulen returning to the side, it will be the first time that Kolisi, Vermeulen and Pieter-Steph du Toit play together since the World Cup final, and the captain was overjoyed by the prospect.
Vermeulen missed the British and Irish Lions tests last year while Du Toit was injured in the series and as such the trio haven’t been together since their win in Yokohama back in November 2019.
“I actually didn’t know of that stat, because I had played with Pieter in the British and Irish Lions series but we found out earlier in the week. Nothing has changed for us. It is the same instructions we have always had, it was the same in the World Cup and we expect the same from each other,” Kolisi said.
“I’m looking forward to it, but it doesn’t matter who I am playing with, it is always the same. I have to make sure my job doesn’t change. Having someone like Duane back in the team, with that type of experience, it is an important part of the team.
“I always want as much experience as I can have around me and Pieter is back – he wasn’t injured the way he was going on – so I’m looking forward to having Duane and him next to me.
“Duane hasn’t played a lot but I’m looking forward to seeing what the can do because he is one of those guys who don’t need a lot of games to be back at his best. Some guys need to go and play a few games before they are at their best, but others don’t.”
The Bok captain warned that it would be a difficult game for the Boks, despite the All Blacks losing five of their last six games and in many people’s eyes being ripe for the picking.
“The game was won and we celebrated but with a team like this you can’t dwell on it for too long. The kind of players they have, it takes one special moment and they are on top of you. On Sunday we wiped the slate clean and started looking ahead on Monday. There is still a lot of work to do.
“It was a little bit wet at Mbombela, while Ellis Park is dry and it plays into their hands. They want to run, and they are able to run from everywhere. But it won’t change what we are doing. We are still going to stick to what we are going to do. We are going to contest in the air and on the ground, but we are looking forward to a big contest and both benches are going to be important.”
Assistant coach Mzwandile Stick said the inclusion of Richie Mo’unga in the All Black team would give them a different edge on attack and predicted the Boks would need to be at their best to win the game.
“We know he is a world-class player. We have a massive, massive respect for him and his team. We know what he has done at the Crusaders. He is a big-match player and they aren’t losing much by having him start, they are actually gaining more because he can mix his game around more and he likes to kick into space,” Stick said about Mo’unga’s selection ahead of Beauden Barrett.
“We know tomorrow will be a different challenge. Barrett is also world-class but I think Mo’unga will bring something different. We spoke about him and we know how dangerous he is. We can’t switch off when we play against them. We have to be at our best for 80 minutes, the moment you switch off, they have world class players that can punish you.
“It is going to be a tough game, but these are the moments we live for.”