Kolisi wary of Argentina fight and flair ahead of Twickenham showdown

VIDEO SHOWS: SOUTH AFRICA RUGBY PRESS CONFERENCE WITH CAPTAIN,  SHOWS: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (OCTOBER 3, 2025) (SA RUGBY – Editorial use only. No resales. No monetisation.) (PART VIDEO QUALITY AS INCOMING FROM SOURCE) 1. (SOUNDBITE) (English) SOUTH AFRICA RUGBY CAPTAIN, SIYA KOLISI, ON WHETHER IT'S AN ADVANTAGE FOR SOUTH AFRICA TO PLAY IN LONDON, SAYING: "It's only an advantage if we make use of it. I don't know if it will be because I know Argentinians are all around the world and it doesn't matter how many numbers they have – you will definitely hear them the whole game. And, yeah, we can't think too much of what happened last year. You know, it's a whole new year now. We've got to make sure that we create new good memories on Saturday. But we're looking forward to seeing South Africans. Hopefully they do come out in numbers and we've been blessed wherever we've been, all around the world, South Africa have come out and supported us. So I'm looking, hopefully this weekend, it will be the same and for us as a team to do the job on the field." 2. WHITE FLASH 3. (SOUNDBITE) (English) SOUTH AFRICA RUGBY CAPTAIN, SIYA KOLISI, SAYING: "It's a fight. And also… compared to the years before, the discipline that they have and how consistent they are in the way they play and they haven't taken away the Argentinian flair. At any moment of the game when it's broken they take the opportunities. And I watched them against New Zealand and against Australia where they can turn from their own goal line the way they can attack you and go score down the post. So you always have to be alert at all times. But the professionalism as well of them, the way that they didn't take the break with the anomalies, take the break. They came straight to South Africa and played because a lot of the players play overseas and they enjoy going back home and seeing their families and being at home because they really love being in their country. Yeah, so that's really been a big part of it. And also like on the field as well, you can just see how connected and how united they are as a team in everything that happens, every facet of the play. If there's a scuffle, they're together as a group. So yeah, that's been very impressive of them.  4. WHITE FLASH 5. (SOUNDBITE) (English) SOUTH AFRICA RUGBY CAPTAIN, SIYA KOLISI, SAYING:  "There's a couple of guys that are playing that haven't been able to win a Rugby Championship. So that's also in the back of our minds. So there's a lot of things that we are excited about, but like putting on the Springbok jersey and yeah… we just want to make sure that we honour that in in every single way that we do and to think about all these records now is not the time. I think we just want to focus on the performance. But I think, yeah, we'll take time to think when the job is done but I can't be thinking that far yet. But it's obviously something that we think about as a group but the most the important thing is to make sure we do the job tomorrow." STORY: South Africa are perceived to have an advantage in their decisive Rugby Championship clash against Argentina in London on Saturday (October 4), but captain Siya Kolisi said that was only the case if the performance matched their title ambitions. The game is a home fixture for Argentina, who have decided to play at Twickenham, which is expected to be a sea of green with Springboks supporters hoping their side claim back-to-back trophy wins in the Southern Hemisphere championship. South Africa thumped Argentina 67-30 in Durban last weekend, a result that took them top of the Rugby Championship table. They have 15 points, one more than New Zealand and four ahead of Australia, who meet earlier on Saturday in Perth. South Africa's +55 points difference is considerably better than both New Zealand (-6) and Australia (+1), meaning even a win without a bonus point will be enough, barring the most unlikely of results in Australia. Now, rather than a daunting trip to Buenos Aires, Cordoba or Mendoza, the Springboks will complete their campaign in West London, which has been a happy hunting ground in recent years. "It is only an advantage if we make use of it,” Kolisi told reporters on Friday. “I don’t know if it will be because it doesn’t matter how many Argentines (are in the crowd), you will hear them the whole game.” Argentina have beaten New Zealand (home) and Australia (away) in this campaign, and Kolisi is expecting a backlash from what he said was an ever-improving side. “It’s the fight they have compared to the years before, it is how consistent they have been in the way they play,” Kolisi said. “They have not taken away the Argentine flair and when it (the play) is broken, they take their opportunities. “Against New Zealand and Australia, they were on their own goal-line, but went upfield to score, so you have to be alert at all times.” South Africa can claim a sixth Rugby Championship title and retain the trophy for the first time, but Kolisi said they were not thinking of that yet. “There are a couple of guys playing who have not won the Rugby Championship, so that is in the back of our minds,” he said. “To think about all these records now is not the time, we just want to focus on the performance. “The important thing is to make sure we do the job tomorrow and then later we can reflect on these records.” (Production: Conal Quinn)

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