Kolisi fits the bill perfectly to lead the Boks – Duane
SPRINGBOKS number eight Duane Vermeulen has applauded coach Rassie Erasmus after his decision to appoint Siya Kolisi as captain for the three-Test series against England.
Kolisi, who is also the captain of the Stormers, will become the first black African to lead the Boks in the series against England, and Vermeulen described the new skipper as a leader who will inspire the team.
Erasmus named Kolisi as captain last week and Vermeulen, who has known him since his early days at Western Province, said he has a lot of respect for him on and off the field.
“He has worked very hard as a player and it took him a couple of seasons to become well-renowned at Currie Cup, Super Rugby and Springbok level,” said Vermeulen.
“I think he is a good choice to lead the Springboks because he is a great leader and a lot of guys look up to him.
“I have a lot of respect for him both on and off the field, and he is a guy who can inspire this group of people.”
Vermeulen is part of the Springboks leadership group and, while he admitted that he does not know much about the younger players in the team, he welcomed the responsibility of guiding them.
“I have watched some of them play but I don’t know them that well,” he said.
“Every day I sit with a different guy and try to speak to him to see what makes him tick on and off the field.
“It is about getting to know a bit more about him so that you can know him both on and off the field when you are with him.
“You know what he represents and where he comes from.”
Vermeulen is looking forward to working with Erasmus in the new Bok era, and he has been impressed by the body language of all the players after the disappointment of last season.
“Last season, the guys were in a difficult set-up after losing to Ireland, and when I walked in there you could see there was something different…. the guys were down,” he said.
“In their body language you could see there was something missing.
“This year there is a new group, a new young bunch of guys. Everyone is excited to start the season fresh, and hopefully we can change something. That is the way I felt.
“When you play for the Boks, you are here because you have something special to offer.
“I think there are a lot of players who have something special, and it is just about focusing.”
Despite an air of anticipation for their return to the Springbok fold‚ it perhaps came as little surprise that hooker Bismarck du Plessis and utility back Frans Steyn were withdrawn from the Test series against England because of injury.
Both players, who play for Montpellier, were involved in last weekend’s Top 14 final defeat against Castres‚ and were thus not available for this weekend’s opening Test against England at Ellis Park.
They were supposed to play a part in the remainder of the series but South Africa Rugby yesterday‚ in a suspiciously brief statement that did not specify the nature of the injuries‚ said the pair were unavailable.
Du Plessis was supposed to be a welcome addition to the Bok group in the absence of in the injured Malcolm Marx.
The last time Du Plessis played for the Boks was in the thirdplace playoff at the 2015 World Cup against Argentina.
THE Warriors coaching staff is set to be complete today when the new assistant coach of the franchise is announced at a press briefing, along with the 2018-19 squad, at St George's Park this morning.
If the Warriors were to look within the province to find an assistant to recently named head coach Rivash Gobind, they would be spoilt for choice with three top possible candidates in the province alone who could be named today.
Fort Hare Academy cricket head and former Protea Mfuneko Ngam and current head coaches of Border and Eastern Province, Frank Plaatjes and Piet Botha could all have been considered due to their impressive credentials, provided they had ambitions for the job, but the Dispatch has it under good authority that Ngam will get the nod.
Last season was a successful one for the Warriors but also saw much change as former head coach Malibongwe Maketa was snapped up by the Proteas, with assistant Gobind taking over on an interim basis.
Gobind then led the team to the Momentum OneDay Cup trophy, shared with the Dolphins, and to second place on the Sunfoil Series log, just missing out on top spot on the final day of the season.
This encouraged the Warriors to deservedly reward Gobind with the head coaching job, leaving his previous position vacant.
Plaatjes is the long-standing coach of Border and