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South Africa captain Siya Kolisi has promised maximum effort from his side in their final Rugby Championship clash with old foes New Zealand on the Gold Coast on Saturday as they look to end a disappointing tour with a victory.
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The world champions have endured an arduous four months of COVID-19 bubble life, with many of the players having been in restricted camps since the start of June ahead of their victorious home British & Irish Lions series.
The Springboks’ season does not end with Saturday’s game against the unbeaten All Blacks as they will head to Britain to face Wales, Scotland and England, starting with the first Test in Cardiff on November 6.
There have been signs of mental fatigue in recent weeks, which could undermine the South Africans’ efforts to avoid a fourth straight defeat, but Kolisi said they were working with the same intensity as always in training.
“The results may not show it, but the attitude and the effort is there,” Kolisi told reporters on Friday. “We miss our families, but we are here to do a job, we knew what we signed up for before we got on the plane.”
The Springboks lost back-to-back tests to Australia before going down 19-17 to New Zealand last weekend after All Blacks fullback Jordie Barrett kicked a late penalty.
“I thought on Saturday we brought the intensity; we just didn’t take the chances in front of us,” added Kolisi.
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“The mood is down because we have been losing. But our focus is to make sure we finish the tour strong.”
Kolisi’s own form has been excellent in recent weeks, arguably the best of his career, but he said the only way they can be successful is if the whole team strikes the right chord.
“As an individual you must bring your part, but we only win (together). There are so many guys who had great games (last week), but ultimately it is the scoreboard that tells in the end,” he said.
“The hardest thing in professional sport is to be consistent all the time, that is what great teams do. I want to mak e sure I am at my best, and make sure the person next to me is doing better as well.”
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