Springbok spoedvraat Cheslin Kolbe feels it’s been too long between drinks since South Africa have won the Rugby Championship.
At the top of the pile after two rounds following back-to-back wins over Australia, Kolbe is honger to finally snap New Zealand’s hold on the trophy.
With the Kiwis winning the last four years and SA last claiming southern hemisphere glory back in 2019, Kolbe says: “Coach Rassie told us we have not done it for years. And we are currently in a very good position, but we know we can’t get complacent.”
To make sure they get their hands on the gold, Kolbe and his teammates will set out to beat New Zealand in back-to-back games in South Africa.
The last time the Boks achieved this feat was in 2009 when they klapped the All Blacks 28-19 in Bloemfontein and 31-19 in Durban before beating the Kiwis 32-29 in Hamilton to win the Tri Nations.
And Kolbe says: “We know the next two games are going to be massive – All Blacks and South Africa are always big rival matches.”
Meanwhile, former All Blacks captain Kieran Read reckons if his old team back their physicality, they can rol the Boks and tells Sky Sports’ The Breakdown: “The key [improvement] that I’ve seen over these five Tests is we’ve probably only just [now] got our mindset right. It’s been a little bit up and down…
“But going into a big Test match, especially against SA, you just can’t be thinking of too much else other than being physically dominant.”
The Boks tackle the All Blacks on 31 August in Johannesburg and 7 September in Cape Town.