The national rugby team, the Springboks fought a great fight when they beat France by 29-28 in a thrilling contest in Paris.
Upcoming for the Boks is a match against face England in the Rugby World Cup semi-finals on Saturday, while Argentina and New Zealand will meet in the first semi-final on Friday.
Not only did the Springboks overpower France during the great weekend of quarter-final action, but the live rankings now show that the Springboks have shot up to No 1 spot as a result of these matches, with New Zealand now in second place. Ireland have slipped to third, while France are fourth.
Siya Kolisi, the Springbok captain said that they were aware that it would take something special to beat France in the Rugby World Cup quarter-final on Sunday, and both him and Bok head coach Jacques Nienaber lauded the team’s character to pull through the victory to book their place in the semi-final.
Kolisi said they worked together as a team and they talked a lot about never giving up. “France asked a lot of questions of us, but the character we showed stood out. We had a clear plan on what we needed to do, especially at the breakdown, and we had to fight for one another, especially in the last eight minutes of the yellow card. I’m proud of the guys and the discipline they showed.” – Kolisi added.
Jacques Nienaber, who is the coach for the team, was equally proud of the team: “We knew how tough it would be to come to France and face the French. They’ve been playing well and were consistent in their performances.
“They’ve also been building well as a team, so we knew it was going to be a proper Test match and it was always going to be tight. Many of the games (in the tournament) have been won and lost in the last eight minutes.”
Main Image: World Rugby
