Siya Kolisi has revealed why “everybody buys in” to the Springbok coaching staff’s plans, insisting that representing South Africa is more important than egos or personal agendas.
Kolisi and Erasmus have worked together for most of the Bok skipper’s career, and helped lead the men in green and gold to back-to-back World Cup triumphs in 2019 and 2023, as well as a British & Irish Lions series victory in 2021.
Erasmus has returned to the role of head coach for the next four years, following the departure of Jacques Nienaber to Leinster, and speaking on the Behind the Ruck podcast with former Boks Rudy Paige and Juan de Jongh, Kolisi explained the collaborative but management-driven nature of the national setup.
ALSO: SA Rugby boss pens equity deal letter
“Everything came from the top in coach Rassie and Jacques and the whole coaching staff,” he said. “They make the plans, they bring them to the group and say, ‘This is what we think, what do you guys think?’
“Everybody has a say, whether you have one cap or even zero caps, but you’re in the mix, everybody has a say, and we then all agree. Obviously, the coaches have the last say in everything, but we all have our input.
“At the end, the coaches say, ‘This is what we’re going with’ and everybody buys in.”
He added: “Whether it’s what you wanted [the plan]… because remember, your ego gets left at the door when you play for the Springboks. The Springboks are more important than you because we’re representing South Africa, and that’s the most important thing.
“We want to make people proud. It’s not about us anymore, and that was the biggest thing for us as a group, which kept us going.
“We knew that our own personal dreams and goals would only be achieved if the team achieved what they wanted, so we put the country first; we put the Springboks first.
“If you didn’t buy into that, you worked yourself out [of the squad] because we’ve got a mission, got a goal to do and have over 65 million people looking at us.”
Photo: Mark Lewis/Huw Evans/Shutterstock/BackpagePix