Spare a thought for Paul de Villiers as Siya Kolisi returns
· The South African
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has confirmed that Siya Kolisi will return from injury and captain South Africa against the All Blacks at the Cape Town Stadium in Cape Town on Saturday, 29 August.
The announcement, however, comes with disappointment for Paul de Villiers, who drops out of the matchday squad as the experienced Kolisi returns to the starting XV.
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Kolisi has recovered from the Grade 2 hamstring tear he suffered against Argentina three weeks ago and has been cleared to start the second Test of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series.
The veteran flanker will also reclaim the captaincy from Pieter-Steph du Toit, who was initially named to lead the team and will celebrate his 100th Test appearance on Saturday.
Siya Kolisi passes fitness test
Erasmus said that Siya Kolisi had been carefully managed during his recovery, but completed full-intensity running without experiencing discomfort.
“It was a hamstring niggle, not something major like he had before 2019 or 2023. It was a grade two tear, and it takes a little time to recover, and that’s why we’ve been cautious,” Erasmus said.
“Last week it was touch and go, but we told him he had to run full out on Monday and he did so on Tuesday as well without any discomfort, so he’s good to go.”
Kolisi will form a formidable loose trio alongside Du Toit and Jasper Wiese.
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Pieter-Steph du Toit relieved of captaincy
Erasmus explained that returning the captaincy to Siya Kolisi was partly intended to allow Du Toit to focus entirely on his landmark Test appearance.
“Pieter-Steph just took the captaincy for us on Monday so Siya could fully concentrate on his recovery and his work, and I had a chat with Pieter-Steph today and he agreed,” Erasmus said.
“In this match you probably don’t want captaincy responsibilities, with the 100 to think about, and on top of that needing to play well, so Siya is our captain.”
Erasmus also praised Kolisi’s influence within the Springbok set-up.
“The 23 guys who played together against Argentina played really well, and it’s not just his game that is good, he’s a very inspirational person who means a lot to this team on and off the field.”
Siya Kolisi will play his 105th Test this weekend and captain the side for the 73rd time, as he closes in on the captaincy record of 83 Tests held by John Smit.
Rassie Erasmus takes responsibility for defeat
The Springboks will enter Saturday’s clash needing to respond after losing the opening match in Johannesburg.
Erasmus believes the Springboks were dominant for much of the encounter but failed to capitalise on their opportunities.
“When we reviewed the game on Monday, we felt we were very dominant throughout up until about the 60-minute mark, and we were just a bit inaccurate in a few departments,” he said.
The coach also accepted responsibility for some of the decisions made during the match.
“The plan didn’t win the game for us, but it’s definitely also not the players who lost the game.
“I’m taking responsibility for some of the decisions we made. We’re a group, but I think it’s a relevant point to explain why we lost, and some of it falls more on me than on the players to be honest.”
Springboks face must-win Test
South Africa are now one match down in the three-Test series, meaning defeat in Cape Town would end their hopes of winning the series.
Erasmus admitted the pressure is already building ahead of Saturday’s showdown.
“I’m definitely nervous again,” he said.
“We’re one game down, and if we don’t win this game, we can’t win the series, we can only draw it. Nerves are there for sure. But we’ve been under this kind of pressure a lot, and hopefully we can turn things around this weekend.”
With Kolisi back, Du Toit celebrating his 100th cap and the Springboks desperate to level the series, Saturday’s encounter promises another huge chapter in one of international rugby’s fiercest rivalries.
Kick-off is at 17:10, with the match live on SuperSport.
Teams
South Africa – revised15 Damian Willemse, 14 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Ethan Hooker, 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (captain), 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nche
Replacements: 16 Deon Fourie, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Thomas du Toit, 19 Lood de Jager, 20 Andre Esterhuizen, 21 Cameron Hanekom, 22 Morne van den Berg, 23 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu
New ZealandTBA
Referee: Nika Amashukeli (Georgia)
Assistant referees: Karl Dickson (England), Angus Gardner (Australia)
TMO: Eric Gauzins (France)