Siya is still a vital figure

Springbok captain Siya Kolisi is the talk of the town; his name is making waves in rugby and the political scene, a true testament to his huge stature in South Africa.

But, let’s stick to the rugby side of things, which is where we want to discuss Kolisi for now.

The towering flanker has seen his captaincy reign come into question, with Bok coach Rassie Erasmus suggesting on Tuesday he had to think about the situation because his captain plays his rugby outside South Africa.

Erasmus has stated he prefers the national team captain to be based in SA and Kolisi is currently in France playing for Racing 92.

Another question about Kolisi is whether he’ll be around for the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia, as he’ll be 37.

All these question marks around the two-time World Cup winner prove that he is an important figure in SA rugby, and that he is a real presence regarding rugby in this country.

The reality is that Father Time is catching up with a lot of Springbok stars who have won back-to-back Rugby World Cups.

Let’s paint a picture of how old some of Kolisi’s generation will be in 2027: Pieter-Steph du Toit (36), Damian de Allende (36), Frans Malherbe (37), Eben Etzebeth (36), Bongi Mbonambi (37) and Faf de Klerk (35).

However, they can’t, and shouldn’t, be written off just because of their age. These are world-class rugby players, and they have the ability to play at the highest level for a long time.

Athletes these days play until their late 30s because of the science in sport, healthy diets, conditioning and avoidance of major injuries or niggles.

Springbok great Duane Vermeulen was 37 when he helped the team lift the Webb Ellis Cup in France last year.

Vermeulen credits Irish side Ulster for how they managed and conditioned him, ensuring he peaked at the World Cup.

Kolisi and Co making it to the 2027 World Cup will depend on the efforts put in by their respective unions and clubs, but it would be a mistake to deny Kolisi the capataincy just because he’s in France.