Kolisi: Springboks determined to start Rugby Championship with a victory

Speaking to the media on the eve of Saturday's Rugby Championship opener, Bok captain Siya Kolisi said the team had pushed their Brisbane hoodoo aside this week and instead channeled their focus into pitching up mentally and physically for the battle ahead.

The Springboks last beat Australia at the Suncorp Stadium in 2013 but it's not a statistic that scares the back-to-back world champions, even as they admitted this game was a big one for the team.

"This is a very important match for us," said Kolisi. "We haven't done well in Brisbane in the past, and although we cannot win the Rugby Championship here, we can lose it here (in Australia), so we have to do well this weekend.

"We've worked hard since we arrived here and we know what we are up against, so stressing about the record (here in the past) won't help. Our focus is on what we must do on the field, and we know it's going to be challenging.

"We are facing a side that are coming out to win in front of a sold-out stadium, and who will have a lot of supporters behind them. They also won against Wales and Georgia, and will it be huge for them to get a win over us, but that said we know what we must do, and we have played against some of these players before, so our focus will be purely on us."

Assistant coach Mzwandile Stick shared Kolisi's sentiments and said the Boks were more concerned with developing their game plan under their new coaching regime than focusing on their record in Brisbane.

"If we place ourselves under pressure because of that we'll be on the wrong track. This week is about trying to improve on our game. So, we must pitch up with the right mindset, implement our plans well and be effective in our execution.

"A win is very important for us because we still want to develop our game and continue to evolve with our new coaches in Jerry (Flannery) and Tony (Brown).

"We didn't pitch up in our last few games in Australia, and we cannot afford to do that again this weekend.

"They have a team boasting players with a great X-factor, and who are good enough to punish you if you make mistakes or don't go into the game well prepared.

"We also want to build on what we did against Portugal (the Boks won the match 64-21) and having a few extra days in Brisbane helped us. In my opinion, it was probably one of our best training weeks."

All eyes will be on flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu on Saturday and Stick said the Boks were confident in his ability to deliver on the day, as they have followed his progress for some time.

"A lot of people see him (Sacha) as a very exciting young player, but we know him well having come through the SA Rugby structures, while he also represented the SA 'A' team," Stick said.

"We haven't done anything differently with Sacha starting because we don't want to place extra pressure on him. As a coach, it's great to see how the players help one another improve, and it's been the same with Sacha, Manie (Libbok) and Handre (Pollard) this week.

Zooming in on the talented young pivot's skillset, Stick said: "He's certainly a young player with a big heart and who pulls the trigger at times and makes big calls. He also doesn't shy away from the physical side of things, and he can play No 12 and No 15 as well, so we are excited to see what he brings to the team."

Kolisi was equally excited to see Louw in action: "He had an amazing Vodacom United Rugby Championship season, and as a loose trio we want him to have the ball. He's a strong carrier and he competes well on the ground, so we're excited to see him earn his first start in the jersey this weekend."

Kolisi also sent a special message to the women of South Africa on Women's Day: "Most of us were raised by women and they should be celebrated every day, and as men in sport we can do so much more. I'd like to wish all the women a happy Women's Day."

Saturday's match kicks off bright and early at 06:45 South African time.

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