Kolisi to be first black captain of Springboks
SOuTH AFRICA will be led out by their first black Test captain in the series against England next week.
Siya Kolisi, the 26-year-old flanker who was born in a Port Elizabeth township, was selected as skipper for the three-Test tour yesterday.
With lock Eben Etzebeth and No 8 Warren Whiteley out injured, Kolisi — who plays for the Cape Town-based Stormers and has won 28 caps — was the obvious choice.
Even so, his appointment is a landmark moment in South African rugby, which for so long was the exclusive preserve of white players during apartheid.
The announcement was celebrated across social media.
World Cup winner Bryan Habana tweeted: ‘#TooProud!!! You’ve come a long way my friend!!!’ And the 400 metres world record-holder Wayde van Niekerk tweeted: ‘Yes!!!! Congrats my brother!!! So proud of u, Captain!’
South African Rugby and the government decided that 50 per cent of the Springboks’ squad at the 2019 World Cup in Japan should be black in what they call ‘transformation’ targets.
So while new head coach Rassie Erasmus understands the cultural importance of his choice, he firmly made the point that Kolisi’s selection was on merit, not tokenism.
‘I know Siya is a good leader and I am excited about what he can offer us,’ said Erasmus. ‘I coached him since he was 18. I like him because he is humble, quiet and the way he is playing at the moment he is not flashy.
‘I have always understood all the transformation issues and I have bought into that. We are trying to fix all the wrong things that were done in the past. The players we have in this squad deserve to be here and I am not trying to fabricate things.’
England face the Boks on June 9 at the notoriously hostile Ellis Park — where they have not won since 1972 — and Eddie Jones has told his players to be ready for a barrage in Johannesburg.
‘There are certain cultural issues between the two countries that provide great motivation for the South Africans,’ he said after the embarrassing 63-45 defeat by the Barbarians.
‘You have to be able to exploit that and use it in a positive way. How can you use their dislike of the English to create an opportunity for yourself?
‘They will be unbelievably passionate and aggressive for the first 20 minutes. That creates opportunities for us.’
Kolisi will not lead the Springboks against Wales in Washington DC on Saturday — lock PieterSteph du Toit captains an inexperienced side for that match.