Kolisi and All Blacks captain Ardie Savea have a long-standing friendship and attended church together, the Springboks skipper said following New Zealand’s deserved 33-16 first-test win in Johannesburg that has ignited the four-game series.
Kolisi did not play in that game as he recovered from a hamstring injury, but returns to lead the side this week as they look to avoid back-to-back test defeats for the first time since 2022.
"We respect each other and a lot of the guys have played together in Japan," Kolisi told reporters on Friday. "But when I play against my friend, I show him respect by giving my best on the field.
"He's (Savea) the leader of that team and I'm leading the Springboks. Rugby’s never part of our conversations. It's just about life, our kids and how things are going off the field."
Kolisi played his first test of 2026 against Argentina earlier this month but came off early due to the hamstring injury that has laid him low.
His return is a significant boost for the Springboks, both as a leader and at the breakdown, which was a fierce contest last weekend.
"I feel good," he said. "The toughest part was more the mental battle. People always think it's the injury itself, but you know you're always going to heal.
"The hardest part is not knowing which game you're going to be back for. But I have good support from the coaching staff."
The All Blacks are embarking upon their first full tour of South Africa since 1996! Marketed as the 'Greatest Rivalry' series, the winner will come out not only with the bragging rights but World Rugby's number one ranking. Keep up to date throughout August and September with news, previews and more.
All tour fixtures | All tour results | Rugby match previews | Rugby news
The Springboks' video analysis sessions would have been a tough watch this week as they wasted numerous entries into the New Zealand 22 and ended up conceding five tries to one at Ellis Park. Kolisi maintains the game was closer than that.
"If we create as much as we did last week … we just need to take those chances. That was the biggest factor last week. The All Blacks took theirs. We had so much dominance in the first half but did not have much to show for it," he said.
The Springboks made two late changes to their side on Friday as Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu replaced the injured Handre Pollard and Cheslin Kolbe was declared fit to play and replaced Kurt-Lee Arendse on the wing.