'No excuses' - South Africa captain Siya Kolisi after defeat to England
Siya Kolisi was sin-binned in the 76th minute during the game against England
©PA
South Africa captain Siya Kolisi expressed disappointment over the defeat to England as they were edged out 26-27 in the clash at Twickenham Stadium on Saturday.
While Manu Tuilagi, Freddie Steward and Raffi Quirke scored tries for England, touchdown from Makazole Mapimpi and a combined seven penalty kicks from Handre Pollard, Elton Jantjies and Frans Steyn put the Springboks into a 24-26 lead before Marcus Smith slotted the decisive three-pointer in the final minute to hand Jacques Nienaber's men a heartbreak.
South Africa's chances was also hampered by the sin-bin of Kolisi in the 76th minute for taking out Joe Marchant out in the air and the 30-year-old laments the errors made during the game.
"We are very disappointed with the loss,” Kolisi said.
“But it was a great game and both teams turned up.
“It’s a pity we could not finish strong but proud of the guys.
“We made a couple of mistakes and getting so close to the line but not being able to capitalise made it tough for us."
This was also South Africa's first defeat of the campaign after they registered wins against Wales and Scotland.
“We never make excuses,” Kolisi said.
“We knew what we were up against this year. I’m really proud of how the boys stood up to the challenges and we are grateful to play the game.
“It has been a tough year for everyone, many people lost their jobs, lost family members and we have a great opportunity to play the game and playing at the stadium like this has been an honour,”
