As one of the standout performers in the Springboks’ 29-20 victory over England at Twickenham, in London on Saturday, South Africa winger Cheslin Kolbe paid tribute to his teammates in creating opportunities for the speedsters out wide.
Kolbe scored two brilliant five-pointers on the night, as the Springboks outscored their hosts by four tries to two.
In a Test match which began firmly in favour of England, the lead would change a number of times before the Springboks ground their hosts down in the final quarter of the clash.
Kolbe was left a satisfied player after the Springboks made it two from two in their November tour, following their victory over Scotland last week.
‘Recognition they deserve’
“It's always good to score tries as wingers, but a lot of credit to the guys on the inside for putting in that hard work,” said Kolbe.
“Hard work doesn't go unnoticed and that kind of gives opportunities for us on the outside. The guys don't get the recognition they deserve, but for us, we know as a team what it means and what we want to achieve during each and every Test match.”
Ultimately, it was a masterclass in tactics from Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus and his skipper Kolisi to first keep pace with a highly-motivated England outfit before showing just why the men in green are Rugby World Cup champions.
It was not a complete performance against Scotland a week ago, and it was much the same against England. However, the Springboks still found a way to win, and that was especially pleasing for Kolbe.
“When you come down to England at Twickenham, it's not going to be easy at all. It's always down to the wire and I'm just glad the composure the boys showed throughout the 80 minutes.
“When things weren't going our way, we pulled together, we made and found solutions on the field. It wasn't our best performance and we need to look back at that and where we can improve going into next week.”