Captain Siya Kolisi has called on the Springboks to draw inspiration from Soweto's vital role in South Africa's history as they prepare to face New Zealand at the FNB Stadium on Saturday.

The stadium, with a capacity of 94,736, previously hosted the opening match of the football World Cup, marking a significant event as it was the first and only time the tournament occurred in Africa.

Kolisi, South Africa's first black captain, emphasized the importance of the 1976 Soweto Uprising, a pivotal moment in the struggle against apartheid—the institutionalized racial segregation in South Africa. He stated,

"So many things that happened in Soweto helped shape the South Africa we have today. So many heroes have come from there, and a lot of the football history of this country is from Soweto, so we know how special that is."

Kolisi acknowledged the historical significance of the ground, saying,

"We're not going to act like it's not a special ground in a significant area. All of that gives us more to play for. We are also thankful for the people who came from there and fought for people like me and [assistant coach Mzwandile Stick] to be sitting here today. They fought for the freedom we have now and never got to experience it, and giving our best tomorrow is part of us saying thank you."

The Soweto Uprising was a protest by schoolchildren against policies mandating instruction in English and Afrikaans, languages predominantly spoken by the white population. The violent crackdown by police resulted in hundreds of deaths, prompting international condemnation of the South African government. Apartheid officially ended in 1994 with the country's first fully democratic elections.