The Springboks wanted to “look each other in the eye” and know they were better than the best in their Rugby Championship clash against New Zealand on Saturday.
And when the final whistle blew at Westpac Stadium, they could do so and say they beat the All Blacks 36-34 in Kiwiland for the first time since 2009.
South Africa suffered back-to-back defeats in the Rugby Championship heading into the game and were under pressure to get a positive result in the encounter.
Kolisi explains: “We kept our focus and we really had belief.
“We wanted to look each other in the eye and said we did the best that we could against the best team in the world.
“The boys did just that and I’m so proud of all of them.
“Coach Rassie [Erasmus] and the other coaching staff did an excellent job to prepare us for this Test after we lost the previous two.
“It’s a special win, a special day and I’m so proud of the guys and just glad we could make South Africa proud again.”
Erasmus adds: “The boys showed guts and I’m so glad for them. We still have a lot of work to do and the All Blacks will be fuming when they come to Pretoria .”
Dudley.carstens@inl.co.za