Siya Kolisi praises leadership group after becoming most successful Springbok captain

The Springboks' 29-24 win over the All Blacks was Kolisi's 55th victory as captain, taking him past John Smit's mark of 54. He also has one of the highest win percentages as captain, with a 74.3 percent success rate, putting him third behind Joost van der Westhuizen (80 percent) and Morne Du Plessis (86.7 percent) for players that have captained 10 or more games.

However, despite it being a significant individual accolade, Kolisi is adamant that it's the collective effort of the entire leadership group that has led to the success.

"If this were tennis it would be different, but this is a team sport. It shows the work Rassie Erasmus and his coaching staff put in," he said after the Springboks beat New Zealand at the FNB Stadium.

"We've got so many leaders in this side that I really only have one job to do, which is focus on my own game.

"The way the coaches rotate the team and give other guys opportunities keeps everyone hungry. If you don't get picked this week, you know your chance is coming. It also keeps us fresh so we're not overplayed. It's a group effort, and I'm really happy about that."

Kolisi put his body on the line in his time on the pitch during the match and could be seen celebrating wildly on the sidelines every time the Springboks got on top even after he was substituted.

He admitted playing at the FNB Stadium in Soweto was a special occasion for the whole team and that seeing children running up to the team bus to catch a glimpse of the team, even though they could not afford tickets to watch the game, gave them extra motivation to put in a good performance for the entire country.

"It was really special. We always say we won't just say thank you in words, but through our effort. We were tested in that first 25 minutes; they came out firing, and we had to dig deep to fight our way back into it," he said.

"They can't afford to come and watch us play, but seeing that, and understanding the history of this place, the young people who fought so that we could be sitting here today, that's why we wanted this game here.

"That's what we play for, not just the people who can afford it, but everyone."

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