Captain Fantastic
COACH: I KNOW WHAT HE CAN DO; I KNOW HIS QUALITIES
New Springbok captain Siya Kolisi leads the team before their first training session in Johannesburg yesterday. The 26-year-old Kolisi is the 61st Springbok captain and the right man for the job, coach Rassie Erasmus says.
Politics played no role in new Bok captain’s appointment, says Rassie.
Siya Kolisi’s appointment as Springbok captain was not politcally motivated, Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus stressed yesterday. The Stormers flanker is set to became the first black Springbok Test captain after he was named to lead the Boks in their three upcoming home Tests against England, while lock Pieter-Steph du Toit will skipper a weakened side in the season-opening one-off Test against Wales in Washington DC this weekend.
Hooker Chiliboy Ralepelle made history in 2006 by becoming the first black national men’s captain, but he only led the side in a tour match against a World XV and never in a Test.
“I coached Siya since he was 18 when I got him from the Eastern Cape to join the Stormers. I coached him right through his academy years until he started playing for the Stormers,” said Erasmus yesterday.
“I know what he can do. I know his qualities. He has grown as a man and as a captain.
“In terms of his captaincy I know it’s a big honour for him and I’ve known him for a lot of years and I’ve seen him going through bad times and good times and I know what kind of person he is.
“We’ve had a lot of contact with him, so I’m not unhappy with his playing level,” said Erasmus in relation to the fact that Kolisi hasn’t been able to maintain his usual high standards of late.
With both last year’s two national captains, Warren Whiteley and Eben Etzebeth, ruled out by injuries, Erasmus said the appointment of Kolisi made perfect sense. The loose forward has captained the Stormers since 2017, and is the most internationally experienced current local Super Rugby captain in the Bok squad.
“It’s only for the June Test matches with guys like Warren and Eben still out injured, so it was common sense for me. What he can bring to the party I’m 100% happy with and I have no doubt over the decision at all.”
The 26-year-old Siyamthanda Kolisi was born on June 16, 1991, in Zwide township near Port Elizabeth and was educated at Grey High School.
Since making his Test debut at the age of 22 against Scotland in June 2013, he has played 28 Tests, scoring four tries.
Apart from Kolisi, Erasmus also assured Bok fans the percentage of players of colour in his first squad – 19 out of 43 – isn’t a “fabrication”. “I wouldn’t have taken up the position if I was going to fabricate positions like that. I’m really happy that it’s a very competitive squad,” said Erasmus, who took over from Allister Coetzee.
“I think before I was appointed it was always part of my understanding where we were heading and from the beginning I bought into that. And I understand that and want to be part of that and want to fix that – all the things we did wrong in the past. I really believe the players we have here deserve to be there.” – rudolphj@citizen.co.za
No guarantee that overseas players will start.
Rudolph Jacobs
As far as he is concerned there are no A or B squads for the Tests against Wales and England this month, said Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus yesterday ahead of his debut.
Erasmus named a squad of 26, including 13 of the 17 new caps, to depart tomorrow for the one-off Wales Test in Washington on Saturday to be captained by 32-Test lock Pieter-Steph du Toit.
Seventeen players will stay behind to start preparing for the first of three England Tests on June 9 at Ellis Park with 28-Test flank Siya Kolisi named as skipper.
“If you look at guys like centre Jesse Kriel, flyhalf Elton Jantjies and prop Steven Kitshoff, nobody will really consider them as second-choice selections,” stressed Erasmus, before naming his starting team tomorrow.
Of the five overseas players, scrumhalf Faf de Klerk, No 8 Duane Vermeulen and fullback Willie le Roux have already joined the squad, but hooker Bismarck du Plessis and centre Frans Steyn will only hook up on Sunday.
“It’s no certainty that those five overseas players will be in the starting line-up for the first England Test, they must show how desperate they are and how keen and fit they are,” said Erasmus.
“We just went into the positions we felt we need experience, key areas where we need decision-making, but in a position like 9 we want to get some experience.”
Erasmus said while the five overseas players are not available for the Wales Test, there are a lot of positions up for grabs.
“Obviously it will depend on what happens in the States, injury-wise, and the way individuals perform, and winning is important. I think there are still a lot of spots open for the first England Test,” he said.
“So I want to see how they are going to perform and in that first week against England we still want two full teams training which we will need with a fairly new group coming together.”
Erasmus said he is happy that Du Toit was the perfect fit as captain for the Wales Test.
“For the first match I think Pieter-Steph is a good leader what I’ve heard from him before and what I’ve seen and what I experienced when we had alignments camps,” he said.
“He has the potential to become a good captain in the future.”