Cometh the hour, cometh the man. When Springbok captain Siya Kolisi admitted on Friday he felt as if he wasn’t given the respect that he deserved, he was scoffed at by so many of the Lions supporters. Even some South African fans, who continue to doubt the World Cup winning captain, joined in.

COMETH the hour, cometh the man.

When Springbok captain Siya Kolisi admitted on Friday he felt as if he wasn’t given the respect that he deserved, he was scoffed at by so many of the Lions supporters.

Even some South African fans, who continue to doubt the World Cup winning captain, joined in.

But the leader of the Springboks stepped out onto the pitch on Saturday and stepped up.

Kolisi was everywhere. He made tackles, hit rucks and carried the ball. In an arm wrestle, he never shied away.

And he led by example.

And the respect so denied him in the first test was there for all too see. In test rugby in the war of attrition there is nowhere to hide.

But Kolisi stood out, stood tall and led. He put the “hardest week of his career” one side and he was unstoppable. And with it the Boks rose from the ashes.

“It has been a week and a half. Honestly, for me personally as a leader, it was the toughest week I ever had to face, with everything happening,” Kolisi said.

“Fortunately, Jacques and the coaches around made sure we focused on the things that we could fix. We know we made a lot of mistakes out there last week, especially with the maul and everything. We put all the focus on the game on what we could fix.

“I said it last week, that one of the positives was that we got another game under our belts, which was very important. And it helped us a lot, even though we didn’t get the win, to see where we can fix things and our legs were stretched,” Kolisi said in a post-match Press conference.

He said the leadership group had bonded together and pulled the Boks through the tough time.

That, and the family support of having the players wives and children in the bio bubble with them.

“It was huge. We knew what we didn’t do. It was same pressure we felt at the World Cup, but now it is a bit more because this only happens every 12 years,” he said.

“That is what I love about this week. If there was a problem, we get through it together. For me personally just having my family here. My wife is in the room, my kids are in the room, they don’t care what is happening, they are just happy to see their father. My wife prayed a lot this week and that was what kept me safe, just having someone to talk to and having my family happy.”

Kolisi said the side was relishing next week’s series decider.

“It’s game on. We are going to go again. Nothing is different. We are just going to try and do what we did today even harder.”

South Africa always knew Kolisi was a leader, but his lead-from-the-front attitude on Saturday was arguably a bigger achievement than leading the Boks to the World Cup.

On Saturday, he led them back from the brink. And earned every inch of respect he so richly deserves.