Respect.

Wales veteran Dan Biggar made headlines last week following his side’s narrow victory over Fiji in their Rugby World Cup opener.

The referee’s microphone picked up Biggar’s foul-mouthed rant aimed at teammate George North after he failed to get the ball off the pitch with Wales leading Fiji just before half-time.

Biggar was visibly annoyed with his side, who were leading by just four points at the time, with the clock in red.

Head coach Warren Gatland defended Biggar after the game, and now another person has come forward to defend Biggar – in the unlikely form of Springboks captain Siya Kolisi.

In an extract from his tournament diary with Mail Sport, Biggar said he woke up the morning after the Fiji game to a voice note from Boks winger Cheslin Kolbe, who told him that Kolisi wanted to get in touch.

“Later on, I opened up a WhatsApp from an unknown number,” Biggar said.

“It was Siya. His message said: ‘Hey bro, hope you’re well. Just wanted to say well done to you and your boys. Loved your passion for the game. All the best for the rest of the tournament.’

“To get that message from someone like him made me feel a million dollars. I listen to that more than some of the ex-players trying to keep themselves relevant!”

Top class from the South African star.