Bok captaincy: Rassie has a plan for Siya

Siya Kolisi will be 37 years old at the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia. The next four years will be about managing the inspirational Springbok captain’s workload and ensuring he gets to Australia — in one or other guise.

Kolisi is a national treasure, and there doesn’t need to be any sympathy votes for him to make a fourth successive World Cup. If his body holds up, he makes it as a player. If his body doesn’t withstand the rigours of the next four years, he makes it there as a part of the management.

Kolisi’s presence for the Springboks is tangible. When he is there, the difference is obvious. He has been Erasmus’ primary onfield captain since the latter took charge of the Springboks in 2018. Kolisi remained captain between 2020 and 2023, with Jacques Nienaber the coach and Erasmus the national director of rugby — to whom Nienaber reported.

But such is the nature of Erasmus’ squad compilation and investment in multiple leaders that he has never viewed the captaincy as the exclusive right of one player. Erasmus has always said he picks the

There will be no brutal ending to Kolisi’s Springbok captaincy career

player first in determining a starting XV and a match-day 23, and then he picks the captain for that Test.

Kolisi’s form, aligned to his availability for the bulk of the Tests between 2018 and the World Cup final in Paris in 2023, meant he started and captained, but others have also captained the Boks when Kolisi was not playing due to injury or rest, and others have captained when Kolisi was substituted in Test matches.

Bongi Mbonambi and Deon Fourie, among South African-based players, have led the Boks, and Japan-based Pieter-Steph du Toit has also led the team. Handre Pollard is a natural leader and previously Erasmus looked to veterans like Schalk Brits and Duane Vermeulen in leadership roles. There is also Ulster-based Steven Kitshoff who captained the Stormers for several seasons.

There are many natural leaders in the Bok set-up, with Sharks midfielder Lukhanyo Am another who has no issue with the responsibility of captaincy.

Erasmus, in media interviews this week, said Kolisi’s role would be addressed and reassessed, given he is currently based in Paris, where he is playing for French Top 14’s Racing 92. Erasmus said it was preferable that his captain was based in South Africa, from a logistical and practical point of view, and that this would be part of his discussions with Kolisi, the back-to-back World Cup-winning captain.

Erasmus — as seen with Brits (2019 World Cup) and Fourie (2023 World Cup) — has no issues with the age of a player. His only concern is performance and what the player adds to the squad. He trusted Brits with a particular role in 2019, despite him being 38 years old. He also entrusted Fourie with a utility role of flanker and hooker in 2023, despite the player having turned 37.

Fourie’s fairytale would be complete when he played the last 77 minutes of the winning World Cup final and captained the Boks in the final three minutes of their epic 12-11 win against the All Blacks.

Erasmus and Nienaber managed Vermeulen’s game time at national level between 2021 and 2023. They worked back from a World Cup final as to how much they felt he had left in his legs, and they balanced that with his contribution to the squad off the field.

Erasmus will do a similar thing with Kolisi over the next two years, and then reassess during the two years leading into Australia. There will be no brutal ending to Kolisi’s career as Springbok captain, and the 83-Test veteran will be treated with the respect and dignity he deserves.

Erasmus has a plan for Kolisi. It just won’t be in the straight-forward guise as run-on captain.