- Springbok captain Siya Kolisi said they'll with Jannie du Plessis's family with their minds and hearts.
- The former Springbok prop lost his one-year-old son to a drowning accident on Tuesday.
- Du Plessis represented the Springboks 70 times and never lost a Test against England.
Springbok captain Siya Kolisi said playing for Jannie du Plessis when they play England on Saturday could be another form of inspiration for them.
The 39-year-old former Springbok tighthead prop, who was capped 70 times, lost his one-year-old son to a drowning accident on Tuesday.
Du Plessis had an impeccable record against England as a player, with six wins and one draw from the seven matches he played against them.
Tributes for Du Plessis' son have been flowing from all parts of the rugby fraternity, with Kolisi saying their thoughts are with Du Plessis and his family.
"It's been the talk of the week and it's really been tough," Kolisi said.
"The guys who have been close to him have been speaking to him and they have been thinking about his family.
"It makes you think of your own family. It's really tough, but our thoughts are with them.
"It does give us motivation and even though it won't make much of a difference for him, but we will play for him and his family. He is a Springbok legend."
The Springboks are also playing their final Test of the year against an England side that has an axe to grind.
The last encounter between the teams was the 2019 World Cup final in Yokohama, a game South Africa won 32-12 to collect their third World Cup title.
In a year where the Boks have been bound to bio-bubble after bubble, Kolisi said they're not in a position to make any sort of excuse, regardless of their results.
"We don't make excuses and even if we'd lost all the games, we weren't going to say it was because of the tough year," Kolisi said.
"When we agreed to travel, we decided to do so and we were going to fight it out. If we lose, we lose.
"We take pride in what we do and we don't make excuses for what we do. The year has been challenging in so many ways, but we'll think about it after the game on Saturday."
England
15 Freddie Steward, 14 Joe Marchant, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Manu Tuilagi, 11 Jonny May 10 Marcus Smith, 9 Ben Youngs 8 Tom Curry, 7 Sam Underhill, 6 Courtney Lawes (captain), 5 Jonny Hill, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Kyle Sinckler, 2 Jamie Blamire, 1 Bevan Rodd
Substitutes: 16 Nic Dolly, 17 Joe Marler, 18 Will Stuart, 19 Charlie Ewels, 20 Sam Simmonds, 21 Alex Dombrandt, 22 Raffi Quirke, 23 Max Malins
Springboks
15 Willie le Roux, 14 Jesse Kriel, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Kwagga Smith, 6 Siya Kolisi, 5 Lood de Jager, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Trevor Nyakane, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Ox Nche
Substitutes: 16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Steven Kitshoff, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Franco Mostert, 20 Jasper Wiese, 21 Herschel Jantjies, 22 Elton Jantjies, 23 Frans Steyn