Springbok captain Siya Kolisi says England will be out to prove “something” when the two sides face off in the Rugby World Cup semi-final on Saturday evening.

Even though England coach Steve Borthwick got off to a slow start, his team has exploded in the RWC, beating Argentina, Japan, Chile, and Samoa in all four of their pool games before beating Fiji in the quarterfinals on Sunday to secure a spot in the top four.

According to Kolisi, the Springboks didn’t care about the negative comments made about England by the public. He also said that their opponents would be very motivated after losing 32–12 to England four years ago.

“A lot of the players were there at the last World Cup, and they will be out to prove something,” Kolisi said.

“They have improved compared to before the tournament, and you can see the intent and aggression and the work rate and that it’s completely different. That’s why they are the only unbeaten team left in the competition.

“We are not silly. We know this will be a different match this weekend [to previous meetings] and we know how big it is. Our motivation doesn’t come from who the opponent is, it comes from within us and from the support we have from back home.

“They will have their motives and we will have our own and it is always constant, to play for one another to play for the jersey and to play for the people back home.”

Photo by Steve Haag Sports