Weight of a nation on Kolisi shoulders
Siya Kolisi will lead South Africa into the Rugby World Cup final against England tomorrow night in what will be his 50th test, giving him the chance to join Francois Pienaar and John Smit as Springboks captains to lift the sport’s most prestigious trophy.
The first black player appointed as Springboks captain, Kolisi has dedicated this campaign to all the people of South Africa.
Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus elevated Kolisi to the captaincy last June and says reaching the final is “a great achievement” but the job isn’t finished yet.
“Any Springbok captain carries a heavy load — probably doubly so in Siya’s case — and he has really risen to the occasion over the past two years,” Erasmus said. “No one is hiding from the significance that would be attached to him lifting the trophy on behalf of this team and South Africa.
“But first and foremost on Saturday this is a rugby match that we’re only focused on winning.”
The return of flying winger Cheslin Kolbe, who missed the semifinal because of an ankle injury, is the only change to South Africa’s 23-man squad following the 19-16 win over Wales.
“I’m really confident that as a player I’m back to my old self, the ankle has really healed up nicely,” Kolbe said. “I’m a firm believer. I wasn’t for the semifinal but I am now for the final.”
Kolbe replaces S’bu Nkosi on the wing. The same 23 started in the group game against Italy and the quarter-final win over Japan, and Erasmus said he is going for a consistent approach. He has again included six forwards on his eight-man reserves bench.
“Chessie is fully fit and ready to go,” Erasmus said. “We have been developing some momentum through the tournament, which has come from consistency, and although we know there are things we can do better this is a fit, well-practised set of combinations who know what they have to do on Saturday.”
South Africa has won the title both times it has
reached the final, beating New Zealand at Johannesburg in 1995 and England in Paris in 2007. There were no tries scored in either of those games, with the kickers compiling all the points.
Francois Steyn is the only member of the squad who played in the final in 2007, and he’ll be backline utility cover from the bench. He said he took it all in his stride when he was 20, but now as a veteran he’s feeling more tense. “Getting to this stage is not enough for this team,” Erasmus said. “We have what may be a oncein-a-lifetime chance to become world champions — something that would mean so much to our country and people.”