'We got near our goal': Springbok captain Kolisi defends game plan

Springbok captain Siya Kolisi has backed his team’s game plan once again after they fell short in their Rugby Championship title bid.

New Zealand won the tournament for an eighth time on Saturday after rivals South Africa failed to secure a bonus point and a wide winning margin when beating Argentina 38-21 in Durban.

The Springboks needed a bonus point in the final match of the tournament and victory by at least 39 points to pip the All Blacks for first place.

Earlier on Saturday, New Zealand thrashed Australia 40-14 in Auckland for a bonus-point triumph that took them to 19 points in the six-round Championship.

“It’s always an honour to get a win against a team like Argentina.

“We had a plan and we got near our goal.

“It was going well [when leading 17-0] and we wanted to score again but they scored just before half-time and that set us back a little bit.

“They started well in the second half and then our discipline let us down at times and we had two yellow cards.

“The biggest thing [so far] from this season was that even in the games we lost we created so many chances.

“Our game plan is working but we just don’t take the opportunities.”

Kolisi believes the last few rounds of the Rugby Championship has helped his team build some momentum heading into their November tour.

“We had some great, great moments in the Rugby Championship, and we also had some weak moments,” said the captain.

“We were looking for consistency.

“We know we can win against anyone in the world on our day, but today was a big step forward because it was a third win in a row and we want to take that momentum with us into the end-of-year tour.”

The Springboks will face Ireland, France, Italy and England on consecutive Saturdays in November.