Springbok wing Cheslin Kolbe is under no illusions of the massive challenge that lies ahead in the next two Rugby Championship clashes against the arch enemy, New Zealand.
The 30-year-old pocket rocket has been instrumental in the Boks two bonus point victories against Australia in Brisbane and Perth respectively.
After the Springboks narrowly beat the All Blacks in an epic World Cup final at the Stade de France in Paris last year, the coach Scott Robertson and his charges would want to use the opportunity to set the record straight when they tackle the Boks on Saturday 1 August at Ellis Park in Johannesburg and a week later at the DHL Stadium in Cape Town on 7 September.
Kolbe is delighted with the history-making tour of Australia, but isn’t getting complacent ahead of the home Tests against the All Blacks.
A 33-7 tournament-opening win in Brisbane saw the Springboks claim their first victory at a sold-out Suncorp Stadium since 2013, and the world champions followed that up by claiming back-to-back wins over the Wallabies in Australia for the first time since 1971 in Perth.
Although delighted with the team’s start to the southern hemisphere spectacle, the Kraaifontein born speedster, said that the job is far from done.
“We are very excited that we could build on last week’s result, and it was particularly pleasing with all the players getting opportunities to play,” said Kolbe.
“It was special, but there’s a lot more to come. We certainly couldn’t have asked for a better start in the competition especially winning two games away from home, but we have to progress as the competition goes on.”
It will be the first time that the men in green and gold face off against the men in black since the 2023 World Cup final, when the Boks held out for a 12-11 win in Paris.
“We’ll keep our feet on the ground and continue working hard in the weeks leading up to the games against New Zealand in South Africa which is going to be massive,” said Kolbe.
“As a team we are looking forward giving back in South Africa at the packed stadiums.
“As coach Rassie (Erasmus) said after the game, we haven’t achieved this in years, and we are definitely in a good position (in the competition), but we won’t just leave it at that and be complacent because we know the next two games are going to be tough.
“Tests between the All Blacks and Springboks are always tough matches,” he added.