Cheslin Kolbe on brilliant Boklash: 'We owed ourselves a good performance'

The world champions earned revenge for the Eden Park Test with an outstanding 43-10 win over their greatest rivals in Round 4 of the Rugby Championship this past weekend. The win saw them put the campaign back on track and retain the Freedom Cup.

Kolbe was sublime in the encounter, beating four defenders in his seven carries over 119 metres, and bagging a brace of tries to boot.

"To keep the Freedom Cup in South Africa means a lot to the team and country," said the pocket rocket.

"We owed ourselves a good performance, and everybody did their best and sacrificed everything for the team.

"I think the players showed a lot of positive energy, that they mean business, and also that they want to play for a position in the team.

"That's one thing about this squad, whoever gets their opportunity, we'll back them and make sure that whenever they go into big games like that, that they are confident about themselves.

"I must give credit to the coaches as well for feeding us through with information and for making us as comfortable as possible throughout the week. What the young guys and the whole backline did, was unbelievable.

"Now, we need to keep our feet on the ground and continue to work hard. We can still rectify a lot, especially in terms of using our opportunities, and we can be better."

Only two points separate all four teams on the log. The Wallabies lead the standings on 11 points, followed by the second-placed Springboks and third-placed All Blacks (both on 10 pts), and Argentina (9 pts). Australia and New Zealand play each other home and away on the same dates.

As such, the task of defending the Rugby Championship is far from over. Next up, the Boks face the Los Pumas in Durban, then fly to London for the final fixture of the tournament. Kolbe is under no illusions as to the intensity the South Americans will bring.

"The Pumas are playing good rugby, and it will be a good challenge when we face them," he added.

"Once we go back to training, I'm sure the coaches will have plans for us for the next two games.

"They've been playing really well in the Rugby Championship, and it's always a physical battle against the Argentines. That said, we need to make sure we focus on ourselves and where we can be better.

"We must be clinical. Test rugby is all about being clinical, disciplined, and playing on the right side of the field."