Springbok skipper Siya Kolisi and coach Rassie Erasmus spoke about the emotion of playing in Soweto after beating New Zealand in the third Test on Saturday to take a 2-1 lead in the series. Erasmus said he had been struck by the realisation that many of the team’s supporters living in the township were unable to afford tickets. “I was unbelievably emotional today [Saturday] because I wanted us to come to Soweto and take it to the people, and then I thought when we got here, ‘They don’t have the money to come into the stadium,’ and then we had a chat about that.”Kolisi said the players had drawn motivation from all their fans, including those who had not been able to be at the Calabash. “We had to dig deep,” the skipper said after his team won 29-24 to record their first victory over New Zealand at the FNB Stadium, where they were beaten in 2012 and 2010. In the only other Test played there, South Africa defeated Argentina in 2013. “Driving through Soweto, seeing how the kids were sprinting to come see the bus, like they can’t afford to come and see us. “But seeing that and understanding the history that has happened here in Soweto — people fought for me to be able to sit here, for us to be here today. “That’s why we wanted the game here, and we wish more people can come and see the game, but it was encouraging to see the kids just chasing the bus on the way and waving at us, and that’s really special, and that’s [who] we play for. “Not only the ones that can afford [tickets], but also every South African and the way we had to fight today — that’s what made it even more special. “We are really grateful that we came here, and hopefully in the future when we come back here again, more people from here can come in and get to watch us play.”The final fourth match of the series will be played in the US on Saturday.
Springboks were inspired by their Soweto fans, says Siya Kolisi
Springbok skipper Siya Kolisi and coach Rassie Erasmus spoke about the emotion of playing in Soweto after beating New Zealand in the third Test to take a 2-1 lead in the series














