Bok captain Kolisi avoids referee criticism after Wales win

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Siya Kolisi (Getty Images)

Springboks captain Siya Kolisi has avoided criticizing referee Paul Williams despite their historic win over Wales in Cardiff on Saturday. The Boks won 23-18, taking their first victory in the Welsh capital since 2013, and Kolisi also praised the return of Ellis Jenkins, who played his first Test in more than two years.

Springboks captain Siya Kolisi has avoided criticizing referee Paul Williams for his performance after the Boks broke their Cardiff curse on Saturday.

The Boks won 23-18 in a game where they had more than their fair share of opportunities, but the match referee was widely criticized for allowing the game to go to a point where the weak Welsh scrum did not ‘was not exposed in the first half.

There was only one scrum in the first half, while Williams was also accused of allowing the hosts to engage in the sacking of the maul earlier than expected.

Kolisi chose to watch what they needed to control instead.

“We are only focused on what we need to do and we understand that match officials have a tough job,” Kolisi said.

“I don’t think it’s possible to look at what the referee did or didn’t do in this game, but we have to look at the things that we can control.

“I can’t speak for what the referee did right or wrong in this game.”

The Welsh have been a constant thorn in the Springboks’ side for the past seven years and this has been indicated by how poorly they have performed in Cardiff.

Saturday’s win was South Africa’s first at Cardiff since 2013, with Kolisi claiming that coach Jacques Nienaber’s ability to get the best of them mentally played a huge role in breaking their hoodoo.

“We know what kind of team Wales are and we talked about their difficulty in the documentary,” Kolisi said.

“We also come from a country where we don’t accept defeat very easily, but our coaching staff has also had a great tendency to pick guys who have been through a lot.

“The coach speaks to us as human beings because he knows that we can go to these dark places and we can live there for a long time.”

Kolisi also reserved special praise for Welsh striker Ellis Jenkins, who played his first test in more than two years after his severe knee injury against the same opposition in 2018.

“I remember when he got injured I sent him my jersey because it’s tough stuff,” Kolisi said.

“We play rugby because we want to make our families and our countries proud and at no time do you want to wish a player something bad.

“For him, fighting the injury he had to play for the national team shows the kind of character he is.

“He played well today and I’m proud of him and can’t wait to see what he does in the future.”

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