Siya Kolisi shares some classy words for France skipper Antoine Dupont

 Springboks captain Siya Kolisi praised Antoine Dupont for how he returned from injury for the quarter-final that saw France lose 29-28 on the night.

It was a truly epic game loaded with just about everything from a Cheslin Kolbe charge down on a conversion to tries aplenty and a nail-biting finish. However, for Les Bleus their journey in this Rugby World Cup has come to an end.

The Springboks march into the semi-finals where they will play England but before the team looks ahead Kolisi had some lovely words for Dupont who suffered a facial injury in the group stage but showed courage in returning early to lead his country.

“It was an amazing game, it was tough, physically it flowed. The way the two teams played outshines everything else. It was an amazing atmosphere. The French team have been building for four years so we knew it would take something special for us to win this game,” Kolisi said.

“For a leader like Antoine to come back and play like he did, we give credit to him and France and all the French people who made this World Cup so special. When we heard the anthems, we knew how loud it was going to be. The people of France can be proud of their team.

“It was a one-point game. Things like the charge-down from Cheslin [Kolbe], you don’t see that every day. It was going to take something special for us to win. The French team and Antoine can hold their heads up high.”

Team effort

It certainly was not a simple game for the holders as Les Bleus kept coming at their line time and again. Kolisi believes the difference for his team was the work rate for each other as a unit.

“We scrambled a lot, especially when we were short of numbers. We talk about chasing lost causes as a group, we don’t give up until they put the ball down over the try-line. We worked together as a team.

“If we hadn’t done that, we would be going home tomorrow. We never give up. You can lose as a team, but as long as you don’t give up. We knew it would take something special and it did.”