BOK BACK-ROW POSER
OPTIONS: HARD TO FIND A LIKE-FOR-LIKE REPLACEMENT IF KOLISI IS RULED OUT Former Springbok flyhalf Joel Stransky rates the 36-year-old Stormers veteran Deon Fourie highly.
Kwagga Smith or Jasper Wiese? Or Marcel Coetzee…or Deon Fourie? These are just four of the names that have been mentioned as possible replacements for Siya Kolisi were the Springbok captain to be ruled out of action for several months because of a
knee injury.
South African rugby fans are awaiting news of Kolisi’s injury, picked up in the early stages of last weekend’s URC match against Munster in Durban.
Some reports have suggested the 31-year-old, who led the Boks to World Cup glory in 2019 in Japan, will be out of action for up to nine months if he undergoes surgery to repair torn ligaments in his knee.
If he opts against the surgery and only has work done on his meniscus he could be out for four months – still putting his Rugby World Cup participation in doubt.
While there are several options to take over as captain of the Boks, among them Duane Vermeulen, Handre Pollard, Lukhanyo Am, Eben Etzebeth and Steven
Kitshoff, finding a like-for-like person to wear the No 6 jersey in a balanced back-row could prove far more problematic.
This is because Kolisi is far more than just a leader and openside flanker. He is a powerful defender and ball-carrier and a stealer at the breakdowns.
His experience is massive and his partnership with Pieter-Steph du Toit and Duane Vermeulen in the Bok back-row over the last few years has played a big part in the team’s success.
The good news is there are options – Smith is comfortable across all three back-row positions, Wiese probably too, while Coetzee has also moved around between six, seven and eight.
Marco van Staden has experience and has been in good form
for the Bulls and ticks many boxes, while Elrigh Louw and Evan Roos have their strong points.
Fourie though, who only made his Bok debut last year at the age of 35, could be Nienaber’s go-to man.
One person who rates Fourie highly is former World Cup winner Joel Stransky.
“The Stormers have stalled a bit, lost some momentum…and it’s happened at the same time that Deon Fourie has been missing,” Stransky told The Citizen.
“It just shows how important he is to a team… he has this ability to slow down the opposition’s ball and that impacts a team’s attacking threat and structure.
“And let’s not forget how good he is winning breakdown ball,” added the former Bok flyhalf.