Siya Kolisi knows exactly who he is playing for this weekend – the people growing up with the same struggles as he did.
South Africa have named an unchanged team from their 29-28 quarter-final win over hosts France for Saturday’s last-four battle with England in Paris.
The Springboks captain grew up in the township of Zwide, amid poverty and struggles that are common to so many in South Africa.
The Boks’ first black captain has long laid his motivations clear, in standing up for a nation where millions live below the breadline. But the 32-year-old took the time to reiterate his higher purpose ahead of the defending champions taking on England, in a rematch of the 2019 Rugby World Cup final.
“Who we play for, who we represent, I don’t think that will ever change,” said Kolisi.
“I wish you could see all the supporters back home. This is all that people talk about. Kids at school are sending clips of them singing, people at work on Fridays are wearing their green jerseys.
“And then the beautiful thing to see is the people who cannot afford the jerseys, they will just wear anything green, anything that represents the Springboks.
“We see that and that will continuously be our motivation and we know what the team has meant in the past, not just in sport but for our country in general.
“We use that to inspire us and to keep us going and it’s more purposeful when you don’t do something for yourself, only when you are aiding other people that you don’t even know or have never even met.
“When you start playing for others and start doing things for other people, it’s not easy to give up, it’s much harder. When you think of how many people would give anything to be where we are and the majority of the people in our country are unemployed, some don’t have homes.
“For me, giving up and not giving everything would be cheating not just myself and the team but also the rest of the people at home. The harder we play, the more we do well, the more we are able to open opportunities for others so that also drives us.
“I believe we are a purpose-driven team, we’re not a trophy-driven team. Of course the trophies help you to get more people with you. Sometimes you can look at the struggles of what you’re going through and feel sorry for yourself.
“But we don’t, we use that pain and those struggles and put them on our shoulders, and we carry with us to drive us through the battles. And they only seem to help us. It helps us to keep on going when it’s tough.”
South Africa team to face England in Saturday’s World Cup semi-final: D Willemse; K-L Arendse, J Kriel, D de Allende, C Kolbe; M Libbok, C Reinach; S Kitshoff, B Mbonambi, F Malherbe; E Etzebeth, F Mostert; S Kolisi (capt), P-S du Toit, D Vermeulen.
Replacements: D Fourie, O Nche, V Koch, RG Snyman, K Smith, F de Klerk, H Pollard, W le Roux.
