‘Wrap Kolisi in cotton wool’
DOBSON: WE WILL HAVE TO LOOK AFTER HIM CAREFULLY
The Springbok captain’s status has gone through the roof since their Rugby World Cup win.
Siya Kolisi’s new status as a World Cup-winning captain will probably lead to him being wrapped in cotton wool during certain stages of next year’s Super Rugby campaign.
Newly appointed Stormers head coach John Dobson, who replaced Robbie Fleck, said Kolisi’s workload had doubled and they would need to look after the skipper.
Dobson, however, added that he would be ‘guided’ by Kolisi.
“Siya will be the captain but we are gonna have to manage him very carefully,” Dobson told reporters.
“We have to get momentum early in this competition so when we go on tour there’s less pressure on us.”
Kolisi earned his 50th Test cap for the Boks in the recent World Cup final in Japan, leading the team for the 20th time in his career.
With the Boks winning 10 Tests this year, drawing one and losing just one, Kolisi’s status had gone through the roof.
Apart from the skipper, other players like props Steven Kitshoff and Frans Malherbe, hooker Bongi Mbonambi, flank Pieter-Steph du Toit and scrumhalf Herschel Jantjies would also have to be managed next year.
“Maybe that’s the window where some of these guys – if things go well – can get a bit of a break,” Dobson said.
Meanwhile, Dobson slammed the request by former England international Jeremy Guscott to reduce the number of substitutions to only three per match.
The outcry over subs had originated from Bok coach Rassie Erasmus’ master plan in the World Cup final, after he had introduced an entirely new and fresh tight five in the second half, which was key to their success.
“It’s an impossibility. There was one game in the Currie Cup this year where six of our replacements were out due to injury,” said Dobson.
“The way rugby is going now, from a 20-minute ball in play 25 years ago to close to 40 minutes in Japan now, going upwards of 300 or 400 collisions. It’s simply impossible.”
Well known Welsh referee Nigel Owens had also come out in support of Guscott, but Dobson believed it could have a negative influence on the safety of the game, which was something World Rugby felt strongly about.
“Otherwise it’s uncontested scrums,” Dobson said.