Kolisi call a rugby decision, finish en klaar

Siya Kolisi’s announcement as Springbok captain on Monday has sparked much positive debate, but it wasn’t spared the unfortunate wrath of a shameful racist backlash.

Personally, I think deciding on Kolisi as captain was one of new coach Rassie Erasmus’ easiest decisions. If you analyse certain positions, like hooker for example, naming a bunch of them in the enlarged squad is only just the beginning of Rassie’s headache.

Because Malcolm Marx is the Boks’ leading hooker by a country mile, his absence through injury has thrown the race for the No 2 jersey wide open. The candidates are veteran Bismarck du Plessis, who hasn’t played for the Boks in ages and who’s inclusion is probably no more than a calculated risk, Bongi Mbonambi, who has missed most of the season through injury, Chiliboy Ralepelle, who many will debate isn’t even the No 1 choice in Durban and then his Sharks team-mate Akker van der Merwe, uncapped of course. Good luck with that one Rassie.

Anyway, getting back to the captain. Just take a few minutes and analyse who’s leading the four local Super Rugby franchises to help you decide who’s an ideal candidate for Bok skipper. Okay, make that a few seconds, because it’s slim pickings.

At the Bulls, we’ve got centre Burger Odendaal. Not even in the Bok squad so boom, that’s him for this argument.

Lock Ruan Botha has been calling the shots at the Sharks. but he’s also not in Rassie’s squad. And even if the big fella did crack the nod, he’s just been ruled out for four weeks for his shoulder charge against the Jaguares and it is kind of important for a Bok captain to be allowed on the field.

Over at the Lions, Franco Mostert has been standing in for the injured Warren Whiteley. He is a very inexperienced campaigner as skipper to say the least and also not really assured of spot in the Boks’ starting line-up.

And finally we get to the Stormers where Kolisi sticks out like a sore thumb in terms of being the ideal candidate. It’s not his fault the Capetonians have been so feeble this season. And even if Eben Etzebeth, who captained the Boks for most of last season in the absence of Whiteley, would have been fit enough to play for the Stormers this season, Kolisi would still be the ideal candidate for the Boks. There are many fans who feel Kolisi should already have taken over from Whiteley last year instead of Etzebeth.

Armed with almost another full season of Super Rugby experience this time around, in the absence of Whiteley and Etzebeth, Kolisi was the obvious choice. The fact that he is black is completely irrelevant in a perfect world, a place Mzansi unfortunately isn’t. Taken into account our complex interracial set-up, his appointment was never going to escape political connotations.

Over two decades ago a pale white Bafana Bafana captain Neil Tovey held aloft the Afcon trophy to be celebrated by fans of a sport which has traditionally been supported by the black majority.

Now Kolisi has a golden opportunity to win over the fans of a sport traditionally supported by a white majority.

He’s embracing the challenge, why the hell can’t all the Bok supporters do the same?