Pretoria - Siya Kolisi is on track to make a dramatic return ahead of the Rugby World Cup in France, Jacques Nienamber and Rassie Erasmus assured the South African rugby family on Wednesday.
Speaking alongside head coach Nienaber at the Springboks base camp in Pretoria on Wednesday as they prepare for the Rugby Championship early next month, the SA Rugby director of rugby revealed that the Bok captain was recuperating swimmingly from a serious knee injury.
Earlier this year, while playing against Munster, a fairly innocuous sidestep by Kolisi damaged both the ligaments in his knee, requiring serious corrective surgery and a prolonged period of recovery on the bleachers. But, according to Nienaber and then further elaborated by Erasmus, Kolisi will make the World Cup, and might return to action during the warm-up matches for the showpiece event from August onwards.
“In terms of Siya,” Nienaber said, “he is currently hitting all his targets still. So, he is still on track. We are aiming for those warm-up games …”
“We had a meeting with the doctor on (Wednesday) morning, if he can play one or two of those matches prior to World Cup, that is the target at this stage,” Erasmus reiterated.
The Bok captaincy has been a huge debate amongst the pundits and supporters, and the Bok think-tank is having similar discussions. Handre Pollard is the vice-captain but is also battling a calf injury that will see him possibly miss a portion of the abbreviated Rugby Championship.
Nienaber and Erasmus were at pains to assure that although Kolisi will not partake in the Championship, he will nevertheless remain the team captain. The 31-year-old will given until the very last moment to prove his fitness in a vote of confidence regarding his skills, form and leadership qualities.
Said Nienaber: “Siya will stay our World Cup Springbok captain until he is ruled out, until they say medically, ‘listen, this guy will not make it’.
“He will stay there and then we will use interim captains. We’ve discussed it with the players and they know that it is going to be like that.
“It is very similar to what happened in 2019. Siya wasn’t available for the Rugby Championship. He only started playing in the last Argentinean game here in Pretoria. He came off the bench and then his first start was against Japan in the warm-up game.”
In his absence, the mantle of responsibility will fall on a diverse and experienced core of veteran players. Although coy about who will ultimately lead the team during the Championship, Erasmus pointed out that there were several players who could comfortable and ably hold the regency of skipper while Kolisi fully heals.
While explaining this fact, Erasmus also confirmed what many already suspected – there will be two squads – one for the first match against Australia on July 8, and another that will leave for New Zealand before that match to play the All Black a week later.
“There are lots,” Erasmus said of the captaincy.
“There is Steven Kitshoff. Both the hookers (Malcolm Marx and Bongi Mbonambi) can be captains.
“You can have Eben (Etzebeth) as captain. Pieter-Steph (du Toit) has been the captain.
“Duane (Vermeulen) has been the Springbok captain. Damian de Allende has been vice-captain. Lukhanyo (Am) has been captain at his franchise.
“Determining those first two matches and how we tackle that in terms of our strategy, we might have two different captain in the first two Test matches. The Championship is so condensed in a Rugby World Cup year, so it is almost impossible.
“So, to play here against Australia and get on a plane and arrive on a Tuesday morning (in New Zealand), is almost disrespectful thinking … we will definitely split our resources there and that might also bring two different captains in play.
“We have explained it to the players but we don’t want to speculate now four weeks out from the first Test match because we are still sorting out things. Handre is certainly one of the guys, but there are six, seven guys who will help out at certain stages,” he concluded.
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